Remember that old, clunky phone you have laying around in your drawer somewhere? It’s about to become a paperweight when AT&T turns off its 2G network… in 2017. In other words, you probably don’t have anything to worry about, even if you’re one of AT&T’s 8.4 million customers who still uses a 2G handset on a regular basis.
While it’s somewhat surprising to hear that just over one in five At&T customers still use a 2G device, it’s unlikely that this will put a kink in the network’s plans. 2G networks were introduced roughly twenty years ago, and AT&T no longer sells 2G devices in its stores. Five years is more than enough time to upgrade the remaining 12% of people to a more modern network.
Sprint, by comparison, plans to turn off its 2G network by June of next year, while Verizon has no plans to disable legacy networks at this point. With 3G so prevalent and 4G rapidly gaining in popularity, it only makes sense for these companies to rid themselves of the aging technology.
