UMTS/3G (850/900/1900/2100 MHz bands) is going dark faster than 2G in most developed markets. The reason is simple: 2100 MHz spectrum delivers more when refarmed for LTE or 5G, and the 3G subscriber base has largely migrated to 4G already. This guide compiles official dates as of April 2026.
United States — complete
- AT&T: February 22, 2022.
- T-Mobile US: July 1, 2022.
- Verizon: December 31, 2022.
The U.S. is LTE and 5G today. 3G-only devices have no network.
Australia — complete
- Telstra: June 30, 2024.
- Optus: October 28, 2024.
- TPG/Vodafone Australia: December 2024.
United Kingdom — in progress, near complete
- EE: January 2024.
- Vodafone UK: February 2024.
- Three UK: end of 2024.
- O2 UK: shutdown through 2025.
Germany — complete
- Vodafone DE and Deutsche Telekom: June 2021.
- Telefónica Deutschland (O2): December 2021.
Germany was the European pioneer in switching off 3G while keeping 2G as fallback.
Spain — in progress 2025
- Orange Spain: progressive shutdown through 2025, completing late 2025.
- Movistar and Vodafone Spain: target mid–late 2025.
France — in progress
Orange France: target end of 2028. SFR and Bouygues follow a similar schedule. France is more conservative.
Italy
TIM: April 2025. Vodafone Italia: 2025. Wind Tre: target mid-2025.
Switzerland — nearly complete
- Sunrise: 2023.
- Salt: 2023.
- Swisscom: December 2025.
Netherlands and Nordics — complete
KPN, T-Mobile NL, Vodafone NL: 3G off in 2022. Telenor Norway: 2020. Tele2 and Telia Sweden: 2024–2025.
Japan — in progress
- SoftBank: January 31, 2024.
- KDDI (au): switched off CDMA2000 in 2022 (3G equivalent).
- NTT DoCoMo: March 2026.
Canada
Rogers, Bell and Telus targeting 3G shutdown through 2025–2026.
Rest of world
- Ireland: Vodafone IE off 2023; Three IE complete 2024.
- Austria: complete 2023 (A1, Magenta, Drei).
- Belgium: Proximus and Orange BE 2024.
- South Korea: WCDMA shutdown scheduled 2025.
- China: operators keep WCDMA/CDMA2000 but with no new investment; migration 2026–2028.
- Brazil, Mexico, India: 3G still active in 2026, no shutdown announced.
Practical IoT implications
- If a module is 3G-only and sits in the U.S., Western Europe, Japan or Australia: it has no network. Mandatory replacement.
- If it is 2G/3G fallback without LTE in markets where 3G is off but 2G is on (Germany, Spain): it runs on 2G, but when 2G also goes it dies. Plan replacement.
- An LTE Cat-1 or LTE-M module is the obvious replacement. If the use case accepts NB-IoT (fixed, low traffic, deep indoor), NB-IoT wins on autonomy.
- Do not buy new SKUs without LTE-M today. A 4G Cat-1 module without Cat-M1 works, but pulls 3–5× more power and forces bigger batteries.
Sources
- Press releases from AT&T, T-Mobile US, Verizon, Telstra, Optus, EE, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange Spain, Movistar, TIM, Swisscom, NTT DoCoMo, SoftBank.
- GSMA Intelligence — Operator Network Retirement Tracker.
- Carrier annual reports (public filings 2023–2025).