What you can do about 3G shutdown

Many cell phones, cars, home alarms may not work when network sunsets

Mobile phone companies’ 5G networks are bringing more speed and innovation to consumers, but there’s at least one trade-off: To open up airwaves for 5G, the companies are shutting down older networks that many devices and services still use.

Those older 3G networks were heralded as a revolutionary advancement in bandwidth and connectivity when they debuted in the United States in 2002. Although 3G (short for third generation) started giving way to 4G a decade later, the networks still provide the backbone for older mobile phones and a host of other devices.

Yet it was no secret that 3G would eventually be rendered obsolete by newer, more efficient technology that can transmit far more data. AT&T notified its business customers in February 2019 that it would shut down its 3G network within three years, forcing them, their suppliers and consumers to upgrade their equipment.

AT&T, which operates one of the two most extensive 3G networks in the country, has since put a firm date on the shutdown: Feb. 22. Verizon, which operates the other, is planning to shut its 3G system down by the end of the year. T-Mobile plans to pull the plug on the 3G networks it operates, including the one built by Sprint, between March 31 and July 1.

Here’s what the shutdown might mean for you and what you should do now to prepare.

Who and what will be affected?

The most obvious casualties will be older phones, tablet computers and smart watches that rely on 3G to connect to a mobile network. To see if your device can survive the AT&T 3G sunset, consult the list AT&T has posted online. If it’s not on the list, you have a problem.

Verizon doesn’t offer a comprehensive list of compatible devices, but has posted examples of popular phones, tablets and other gear that will lose connectivity. T-Mobile hasn’t posted any detailed device information; instead, it has pledged to contact each customer who will be affected by the shutdown.

Bear in mind that a 3G device with Wi-Fi can still run its apps and do just about everything you need it to do — but only if you’re within reach of an open WiFi network.

Why is this happening?

Cellular networks transmit data over airwaves leased from the federal government. Although 3G and 5G use different technologies to send and receive data, they operate at some of the same frequencies. But according to AT&T, they can’t coexist on those frequencies — the airwaves assigned to 3G customers cannot also be used for 5G customers.

AT&T told the FCC in August that serving even one 3G user would require the company to reserve a significant chunk of its airwaves in the 850-megahertz band, despite 3G customers collectively using only 4% of AT&T’s 3G network capacity. Turning off 3G will allow the company to double the amount of 850-Mhz airwaves devoted to 5G, the company told the FCC in October, vastly improving its service to those customers.

What do you need to do?

In most cases, the devices that rely on 3G chips are providing services that people have to pay for, whether it’s the ability to place calls or summon first responders automatically. So the companies selling those services have already been reaching out to their customers.

Given how much junk mail and spam we all get these days, you may have tossed out those communications without giving them a second thought. So if you have a mobile phone, smartwatch, tablet, medical alert device or car that’s more than 3 or 4 years old, or you have an alarm service, check with your phone company, service provider or device manufacturer to see whether you’ll be affected and, if so, what your options are.

There is information aplenty online. Start with your mobile phone company’s 3G page — here are links for AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — and work from there. The single most helpful resource for phone, tablet and watch compatibility appears to be the list compiled by AT&T.

How much will this cost you?

An AT&T spokesperson said “a substantial majority of customers” will be able to get a free replacement phone. The company is also offering 5G phones starting at $72.

T-Mobile says that customers on the Sprint 3G network will be able to upgrade to a new device that will work on T-Mobile’s 4G and 5G networks “at no cost.”

People with prepaid phone services, however, are in a different boat. Mobile companies don’t typically offer free phones with their no-contract services, so anyone with a 3G phone will have to buy a new one for prepaid services, such as Verizon-owned Straight Talk Wireless.

If you have a 3G-dependent tablet or smartwatch, it appears that you’ll need to buy a replacement if you want to continue connecting through the cellular network instead of Wi-Fi. None of the carriers’ websites were offering free replacements on that front.

As for alarm systems and medical alert devices, Oppenheim said it’s the service provider’s responsibility to upgrade the equipment to adapt to the change in networks — “by the way, at tremendous expense to the company, not to the consumer.” It’s analogous to cable TV service, where the cable company is responsible for addressing any problems with its cable boxes, he said.