UK prepares to wave goodbye to 3G telecoms as tri-hard tech retires

Virgin Media the last to go as users of older mobiles warned to upgrade

Britain is set to become a post-3G nation as Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) prepares to be the last of the country's mobile networks to switch off its 3G service, although it may linger for a while at a few sites.

The operator says that its rivals have completed their switch-offs and now the firm is set to complete its own program "in the coming weeks" following a series of successful pilots throughout 2025.

VMO2's telecoms turn-off started with the city of Durham in northeast England back in April, and saw it withdrawing 3G services in Scotland from early November.

Customers who haven't upgraded to a 4G or 5G device before 3G is switched off in their area will still be able to make calls and send text messages, the company says, but they won't be able to access mobile data. That would mean they won't be able to use websites and many phone apps will no longer function.

The same applies to subscribers of mobile providers that use VMO2 to deliver their services, such as Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile and Sky Mobile.

As we have noted previously, this all stems from plans announced in 2021 by the previous UK government for all 2G and 3G mobile networks to be phased out of use by 2033.

BT/EE completed its switch-off in early 2024, as did Vodafone, while Three was understood to have concluded its process by November of last year, although there were reports of a small number of sites still providing a 3G service into 2025, to "avoid customers losing service."

The same may happen with VMO2, according to the firm's chief technology officer, Jeanie York.

"Our 3G network has already been withdrawn across many UK locations, with the final areas set to follow shortly. You may still see a 3G signal in some places for a short period in early 2026, but the network will soon be switched off entirely, so I'd like to take this opportunity to urge anybody who is still using a 3G-only handset to please visit your local store, or call us, to upgrade as soon as possible," she stated.

We're well aware that when we have written about the 3G switch-off in the past, some readers complained that 3G was the only service they could reliably get in their area. Presumably, these are the areas where "you may still see a 3G signal for a short period."

The government has been pushing the network companies to hit 95 percent coverage of the country by the end of this year, although there were doubts that this target would be reached. BT claims it expects to have a 5G Standalone (5G SA) mobile service available to 99 percent of the population by the end of the decade.

"This is a necessary move for the industry; 3G carries only a tiny fraction of all mobile data and reallocating spectrum to 4G and 5G networks will give more people a better overall smartphone experience," said Kester Mann, director of Consumer and Connectivity at CCS Insight.

Turning off 3G marks the end of an era. It was the first mobile technology able to offer a reasonable experience for mobile browsing when it arrived in the UK in March 2003. Before that, phone users had to rely on something called Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), which the mere mention of will bring a shudder to those old enough to remember it.

However, 3G also had something of a shaky start in the UK. Network operators bid billions of pounds for their 3G licenses in a government auction, which left them cash-strapped when it came to actually building anything. The initial rollout was plagued with problems, and the first operator, Three, failed to make a profit for several years after its launch.

"Not everyone will mourn its closing," said Mann. "The sale of 3G licences at the turn of the century cost UK operators billions and the technology never really lived up to its hype. Its successor, 4G, was credited with supporting many of the uses of today's smartphones," he added.

Paolo Pescatore, analyst and founder at PP Foresight, was even more scathing.

"Amen to 3G, one of the most overhyped network technologies with unmet expectations, inflated spectrum auctions, complex, slow network build and a terrible user experience," he commented.

"Transitioning to 4G and 5G has not been easy due to the need to support legacy M2M and IoT devices. Looking back, hindsight is a wonderful thing; 4G addressed the shortcomings of 3G." ®