It is the quiet end for an old cellular standard.
The network operator Telefónica with its O₂ brand announced that it would shut down its last 300 locations with 3G cellular technology – also known as UMTS – on Thursday (December 30th).
The company wants to use the freed up frequencies for the faster successor 4G. Competitors Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom pulled the plug on the outdated 3G standard back in the summer, and Telefónica also began to switch it off step by step.
The technology was “getting on in years, so we will replace it at the end of the year,” said Telefónica Germany boss Markus Haas.
What is out of date today was innovative and in great demand a good two decades ago: the state raised around 50 billion euros at an auction of UMTS licenses in 2000. In retrospect, that was far too much, the telecommunications industry lacked money for the expansion, and dead spots continued to shape Germany’s mobile phone card for a long time. In the meantime, the telecommunications companies have improved their networks.
The chaos and annoyance that some feared due to the 3G shutdown did not materialize. Most smartphones have long been working with the successor technology 4G (LTE). Only very old cell phones do not support 4G – they can only make calls using the 2G standard, which all three network operators continue to offer.
Branded smartphones that came onto the market in Germany from 2016 are 4G or LTE-capable. This has been the case with Apple’s iPhone since 2013 (iPhone 5S).
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