All four UK mobile operators completed their 3G network closures in 2024. There is no longer a 3G network in the UK. Devices that relied on 3G for voice calls – phones, alarm diallers, lift phones, PSTN replacement units, lone worker devices – can no longer make voice calls on legacy technology. VoLTE is the only voice mechanism available on 4G LTE.
| Operator | 3G switch-off completed | 2G status |
|---|---|---|
| Vodafone | January 2024 | 2G retained (for M2M/IoT) |
| Three UK | August 2024 | No 2G network (Three never had 2G) |
| EE (BT Group) | October 2024 | 2G retained; no confirmed closure date |
| O2 | December 2024 | 2G retained; no confirmed UK closure date |
Operating 2G and 3G networks requires significant ongoing cost: spectrum licensing, site power, equipment maintenance, and specialist support for ageing infrastructure. That spectrum and capacity is more efficiently reused for 4G LTE and 5G NR. All four UK operators have been clear that legacy network infrastructure will be progressively decommissioned.
The 3G closure also reflects demand patterns. Consumer smartphones have used 4G as the primary data and VoLTE as the primary voice mechanism since approximately 2018. 3G utilisation had fallen to a small fraction of traffic.
2G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) is retained by EE, Vodafone, and O2 primarily to support legacy M2M and IoT devices that are still in the field. These are mostly low-power data applications: smart meters, asset trackers, remote telemetry. 2G also provides SRVCC fallback for VoLTE calls at the edge of LTE coverage on the EE and Vodafone networks.
No UK operator has publicly confirmed a specific 2G closure date at the time of writing. Vodafone has indicated plans to close 2G in some European markets by 2030. The UK timeline is not confirmed but the direction is clear – 2G will follow 3G.
The UK has tens of millions of IoT and M2M connections, a significant proportion of which were originally designed for 2G or 3G. These devices fall into two categories:
Data-only IoT (smart meters, asset trackers, remote sensors): These may continue on 2G (GPRS/EDGE) for the time being. Eventually they will need to migrate to LTE-M (Cat-M1), NB-IoT, or Cat 1 LTE depending on data rate requirements.
Voice-capable devices (alarm diallers, lift phones, lone worker units, PSTN replacement gateways): These devices relied on 2G or 3G voice. With 3G gone and 2G voice largely inactive on data SIMs, these devices need VoLTE to function. The combination of VoLTE SIM plus VoLTE-capable module is required.