Technologies rise and fall. Today’s hot new devices will all eventually be superseded, while manufacturers will continue to end support, forcing us to find solutions to keep using what we’ve got. The latest tech to suffer this fate is 3G, which launched in the UK in 2003 and remained the fastest connection for mobile phones until 4G arrived in 2012.
With 4G now the norm and 5G becoming common, telecoms regulator Ofcom has set a deadline of 2033 for networks to shut down the last 2G and 3G transmitters (though 2G will survive the longer of the two – see box below). EE and Vodafone are aiming to turn off 3G completely in early 2024, while Three expects to do so by the end of 2024. O2 will start switching off in
