Short answerAll four UK networks have switched off 3G: EE and Vodafone in early 2024, Three by the end of 2024 and O2 through 2025 into early 2026. 2G will close by 2033 at the latest. Any device that relies on 2G or 3G should be moved to 4G, ideally a model that supports VoLTE if it makes calls.
For people, the 3G switch-off was mostly invisible: phones moved to 4G years ago. For equipment it is a different story. Devices installed ten or fifteen years ago and forgotten about are the ones that stop working.
Devices most likely to be affected
- Older 3G routers and modems in cabinets, kiosks and plant rooms.
- Alarm diallers and monitored alarm signalling.
- Lift emergency phones and door entry systems.
- Card payment terminals with their own SIM.
- Telemetry, meters and remote monitoring units.
- Vehicle trackers and telematics boxes.
Data and voice are different problems
Data: a device that supports 4G will keep its data connection. If it only supports 2G and 3G, it now depends on 2G, which is closing.
Voice: calls on 4G use VoLTE. If a device makes calls but does not support VoLTE, it falls back to 2G for voice. When 2G closes, it will not be able to make calls at all. That matters for lift phones, alarm diallers and anything that relies on a voice call in an emergency.
What to replace with
- For data: a 4G router or modem that supports the UK 4G bands. Router Store has a range of 4G routers.
- For low-power devices: LTE-M or LTE Cat 1 modules rather than 2G. See LTE categories.
- For voice: devices and SIMs with VoLTE support, tested on the network you plan to use.
The phone network is changing at the same time, with copper landlines being replaced by digital services. Router Store covers the PSTN switch-off.
Frequently asked questions
Is 3G completely switched off in the UK?
Yes, apart from O2 keeping a small number of sites running for a short time into early 2026 while it finished.
When is the 2G switch-off?
By 2033 at the latest, under the 2021 agreement between the government and the networks. Each network will announce its own dates.
Will my 4G router be affected?
Not for data. A 4G router keeps working. Only devices that depend on 2G or 3G are affected.
NANick Appleby
Nick Appleby has worked in UK telecoms since 1998, starting at BT, and has spent most of that time on cellular routers, data SIMs and the antennas that connect them for business and industrial sites. He writes 4G SIM to explain how the networks and the kit actually behave, in plain English.