Verizon has just announced that it will be pushing its 3G network shutdown to an indefinite date. As revealed by Kevin King, a spokesperson for Verizon:
“Our 3G network is operational and we don’t have a plan to shut it down at this time. We’ll work with customers to move them to newer technology.”
Originally, the plan was to close the network by the end of 2019, which was later delayed to the end of 2020. And now, it looks like this is no longer a priority for the wireless carrier.
But even though the shutdown seems to be indefinite, Verizon maintains that it is solely for their customers who are still using their 3G devices. This means that the carrier will continue to stop activating new 3G phones on its network, which it has been doing since 2018. And in 2019, they stopped offering prepaid 3G service. Instead, Big Red encourages customers to activate a new 4G LTE or 5G plan.
Verizon isn’t the only wireless carrier that is encouraging customers to upgrade to a 4G LTE or 5G plan. AT&T already revealed that it will be shutting down its 3G network in early 2022. Meanwhile, T-Mobile already stopped supporting old devices and is planning to make VoLTE (voice over LTE) a requirement for this year.
