2G and 3G shutdown

Each carrier publishes its own timetable: 2G goes first, 3G follows a few years later. The freed spectrum is reassigned to 4G and 5G, which carry data far more efficiently.

SMS does not disappear with those networks: it keeps running over 4G and 5G. What is affected is mostly old handsets and connected devices — alarms, lifts, payment terminals — still sitting on 2G, which have to be replaced or updated.