A Rescue Effort for 3G
The wireless industry is beginning to wind down 2G and 3G networks in an effort to repurpose that spectrum for ultra-fast 5G. But lawmakers and public interest groups are increasingly concerned that shutting down those old networks could leave millions of people who still rely on them without service, particularly in rural areas. And there’s new pressure for the Federal Communications Commission to intervene. The Public Interest Spectrum Coalition -- which includes Public Knowledge, the Rural Wireless Association, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, and other groups -- in a letter urged the FCC to mediate an ongoing dispute between T-Mobile and Dish over T-Mobile’s impending shutdown of its 3G CDMA network. Dish says that it relies on that network to provide voice and text services for millions of wireless customers. This fight between Dish and T-Mobile is “only the first dispute to come before the Commission as a consequence of the ongoing efforts by carriers to sunset their 2G and 3G networks,” the coalition wrote. A group of 13 senators recently pressed telecom companies over how they’re ensuring they don’t hurt elderly and rural populations in the transition to 5G. “Consumers that are struggling financially or have no other mobile wireless options need adequate information and support so they do not suffer additional hardships as companies begin to shut down these legacy services,” they wrote. Telecom companies are pushing ahead quickly. Most of the companies have set timelines for sunsetting the 2G and 3G networks beginning in 2022, and there’s certain to be more questions about the best way to go about it over the next year.
A Rescue Effort for 3G