Vodafone sets date to turn off 3G, Spark expects to follow suit

Wednesday, 24 August 2022

Many 3G phones are “glove box” devices, Vodafone says.

Vodafone will turn off its 3G mobile network by the end of August 2024.

The company has about 70,000 customers using 3G at the moment, though it says that number is declining rapidly.

Spark chief executive Jolie Hodson said it expected to announce plans in the next 12 months to also switch off its 3G network, and expected it would give at least one year’s notice of its closure date.

In Vodafone’s case, some of its 3G phone customers should still be able to make voice calls and texts after it turns off 3G, as some would drop back to its 2G service, which Vodafone has committed to keep open until at least the end of 2025.

But Spark customers won’t have that option as it doesn’t provide 2G.

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3G marked the point where mobile services became more about data than voice calls and texts.

Vodafone mobile access head Thaigan Govender said mobile operators around the world were axing 3G to free up radio spectrum to improve the access and performance of their 5G networks.

“We are not unique by any means doing this in New Zealand. There are heaps of networks that have switched off 3G already, so there are learnings we can take from them.”

Govender said rural mobile services part funded through the Government-backed Rural Connectivity Group did not support 3G, so the proportion of the country where 3G phones would work had already been in decline, he said.

Hodson had no immediate estimate of how many of its mobile customers had yet to move to 4G or 5G.

Vodafone opened its 3G network in 2006 and Spark followed in 2009.

The launch of 3G marked the point where mobile services became more about data than voice calls and texts, so there are 3G smartphones, but Govender said many 3G devices were “glove box” phones often held on to by elderly people.

Telecommunications Forum chief executive Paul Brislen said how much notice was given of the withdrawal of mobile services was less important than how such changes were communicated, as people tended to forget about it until the last minute.

Govender said it would carefully manage customers who would be impacted by its switch-off.

“Obviously we don’t want to leave anyone stranded.”

Many of the people who still had 3G handsets would be those who didn’t feel comfortable using more modern smartphones, he said.

“It will be older folk, not digitally-savvy. But it is an opportunity I guess to get people to the digital age.”