US mobile giant Verizon Wireless has announced that it will deactivate its 3G CDMA networks for good on 31 December 2022. A statement written by Mike Haberman, Vice President of Network Engineering, explains: ‘Since 2016, we have stated publicly that we are actively decommissioning our 3G CDMA network. Initially, we announced we would close down our 3G network in 2019. However, we extended our shut off date – first to the end of 2020 and now to the end of 2022 – in order to care for our customers and give them every effort to minimise disruptions to their service as they move to newer and more advanced technologies.’
The executive notes that 99% of the cellco’s 120.880 million-strong user base are now using 4G or 5G networks, with less than 1% still accessing connectivity via the 3G network. He continues: ‘Customers who still have a 3G device will continue to be strongly encouraged to make a change now. As we move closer to the shut off date customers still accessing the 3G network may experience a degradation or complete loss of service, and our service centres will only be able to offer extremely limited troubleshooting help on these older devices. We will turn off the last of the 3G CDMA network on 31 December 2022, months after our competitors have shut off their networks completely. The date will not be extended again.’