“Vodafone Portugal will start, within a year, from July 2024, progressively, the disconnection of its 3G network, an important step to reinforce the access of customers in the country to faster, more efficient and even more secure communications”, reports ECO.
According to the company, "the overwhelming majority of Vodafone customers will not be affected by this change", as they already have equipment and SIM cards compatible with 4G and 5G, which are more recent technologies. As for the rest, in order not to be left without communications, they will be “timely contacted by Vodafone and will have an extended period” of one year to purchase a new mobile phone or update their card.
The operator recalls that it launched third-generation communications in Portugal in 2004 and that the time has come to evolve, similarly to what it is already doing in many other European countries. The decision is, therefore, part of a “worldwide trend to discontinue older technologies”.
“This change is inevitable in view of technological evolution and will make it possible to respond to the growing consumption of data, reallocating the frequencies used until now by 3G for the use of more modern networks such as 4G and 5G. With this update, which benefits the digitization of the country, communications gain more speed, capacity, stability, efficiency and resilience”, concludes Vodafone Portugal.
Source: https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2023-07-01/vodafone-portugal-switching-off-3g/79087