2G sunset (GSM, 900/1800 MHz in Europe) advances at a different pace country by country. There is no common European date. This guide compiles confirmed dates and official operator announcements as of April 2026.
Countries where 2G is already off
Australia
- Telstra: December 1, 2016 — world's first major 2G shutdown.
- Optus: August 1, 2017.
- Vodafone Australia: September 30, 2017.
Japan
Switched off between 2010 and 2012 by NTT DoCoMo, SoftBank and KDDI. Japan does not use GSM today.
South Korea
Never had mass-market GSM. Legacy CDMA networks were retired progressively.
United States
- AT&T: January 1, 2017.
- Verizon: CDMA (not GSM) off in December 2022.
- T-Mobile US: 2G off on April 2, 2024.
Singapore
Coordinated shutdown on April 18, 2017 — all operators simultaneously.
Switzerland
- Swisscom: December 2020.
- Salt: April 2021.
- Sunrise: December 2022.
Canada
Rogers/Bell/Telus switched off CDMA years ago. GSM 2G is still on at Rogers but with a 2025 target.
Countries with shutdown in progress
Spain
No binding CNMC regulation. Preliminary: Movistar and Vodafone have stated they will keep 2G through 2025–2027 at minimum, given the large installed alarm base. Orange Spain has said it will switch off 3G before 2G.
United Kingdom
Joint UK government and operator announcement: target 2G and 3G shutdown by 2033. Some operators (Vodafone UK) move 3G to 2030, but 2G remains as last-resort fallback.
France
Orange France and Bouygues have extended 2G maintenance contracts to 2030. SFR declined public dates.
Italy
TIM and Vodafone Italia target 2G shutdown around 2029. Wind Tre is more aggressive, targeting 2027 in urban areas.
Germany
Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone DE have confirmed keeping 2G through 2028 or beyond. Germany is one of the European markets most dependent on GSM thanks to its eCall installed base.
Netherlands and Belgium
Belgium: Proximus plans 2024–2025 for 2G. Netherlands: KPN delayed its original shutdown to 2028.
Nordics
- Norway (Telenor): GSM shutdown completed in 2025.
- Sweden: Tele2 and Telia switched off 2G/3G simultaneously between 2024 and 2025.
- Finland: progressive shutdown 2024–2026.
Latin America and rest of world
- Brazil: no mandatory date; Vivo and Claro keep 2G in rural areas.
- Mexico: Telcel and AT&T Mexico keep 2G for wide geographic coverage, no date.
- Argentina, Chile: no public plan.
- India: Airtel and Jio run active 2G; Vi (Vodafone Idea) plans partial shutdown 2026–2027.
- Sub-Saharan Africa: 2G remains the dominant network; no planned shutdowns.
Migration plan for your IoT fleet
- Inventory first. How many 2G-only devices? In which countries? What use case?
- Separate 2G-only modules from dual 2G/LTE-M. The first have to be replaced; the second just need network-profile reconfiguration.
- Multi-carrier SIM with LTE-M and NB-IoT support. If you are changing hardware, do not fit a single-carrier SIM; a shutdown catches everyone.
- Prioritize imminent shutdowns. Devices in Switzerland, Australia, the U.S. have no 2G already; act now. Germany or Spain still have 2–3 years.
- Budget staged replacement. A 10,000-meter estate does not turn over in six months; start early.
Sources and references
- Corporate announcements from Telstra, Optus, AT&T, T-Mobile US, Swisscom, Salt, Sunrise.
- GSMA Intelligence — Network Rationalisation Tracker.
- Public statements from CNMC (Spain) and Ofcom (UK).
- Public statements from Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone Group, Orange, Telefónica.