Mobile operators in Portugal are preparing to shut down the third generation network. The process will be smooth and gradual. Meo, owned by Altice, will be the first to do so from September 4 and expects to complete the process next January. Vodafone plans to launch in exactly one year (July 1, 2024), while Nos also plans to move forward in the middle of next year. The operator guarantees that it will send the statement to all its customers when the date is set.
Meo even opened a support page for 3G phasing out in order to provide the necessary support to its customers. As for Vodafone, the operator assured Sapo Tek that “the vast majority” of its customers will not be affected by the change, as “they already use equipment and SIM cards that are compatible with other generations of mobile communications.” However, customers who do not meet these conditions “will be contacted in advance, having one year to gradually transition by upgrading their hardware or SIM card.”
The closure of the 3G network in Portugal is part of a strategy that all operators are developing internationally. Vodafone has already begun this process in the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, the UK and Ireland. In France, Orange will end its 3G network by the end of 2028, but will end its 2G service in 2025. In Germany, Deutsche Telekom has ended support for 3G services in the summer of 2021. In the US, AT&T, which was the first to shut down 3G, already completed the process in February 2022.
Author: Vanessa Fidalgo
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.