Verizon has switched off its 3G network following years of warnings to holdouts still relying on the legacy network.
Any customer using a 3G CDMA device that does not support newer technologies “will be suspended without billing and will lose the ability to call, text, or use data.”
The operator is the last of the US big three carriers to switch off its 3G network. The spectrum used for the network will be repurposed for newer technologies.
Customers have been given plenty of notice of the impending shutdown.
Verizon initially said it was shuttering its 3G network in 2019 before extending it to 2020, and then again to the end of 2022. Over that period, Verizon claims that it’s been reaching out to customers to get them upgraded to 4G or 5G devices.
“That outreach included proactively communicating through billing messages, digital and traditional outreach, and even sending some customers updated devices proactively,” explained Verizon.
“If any customer needs support to start service on our 4G or 5G networks, they should call our customer service line at 800-922-0204.”
As a result of its efforts, Verizon says that less than one percent of its customers are still accessing its 3G network.
T-Mobile was the first of the big three US carriers to switch off its 3G network, which it did in January 2022. AT&T followed a month after in February. T-Mobile then also retired its LTE network in June.
(Photo by José Matute on Unsplash)
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