Thousands of Three, O2, Tesco Mobile phones are set to go 'dead' this year

Thousands of mobile phone handsets are set to go dead this year due to the 3G network being switched off. Telecom giants - and some of the biggest mobile phone providers in the country - are in the process of phasing out the ageing 3G network.

EE and Vodafone have already completed their 3G switch-off and BT Mobile, TalkTalk, Voxi and 1p Mobile, have also been affected. Three and O2 customers will lose their 3G connection in the coming months and giffgaff, Tesco Mobile, Sky and iD Mobile will also be affected.

If your phone only works on the 3G network, most customers will need to buy a 4G or 5G compatible device. According to Virgin Media O2, 3G carries only 4% of all data used on its network, so the impact of this should be relatively limited. A spokesperson for the network said: "The vast majority of existing customers won't need to take any action during this switch off period, but Virgin Media O2 is committed to helping those who may need additional support—for example those who still use older devices.

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"The company will be contacting customers well in advance to ensure they are aware of these changes and will clearly outline the steps they need to take and their options, with support pages and trained agents on hand to help customers with this change."

Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: "We will begin to switch off 3G in 2025, but between now and then, we will be communicating directly with our customers to explain what this means for them and outline any steps they should take in the next 18 months.

"While most customers will need to take no action at all, we are committed to supporting everyone with this necessary transition." All mobile networks are required to shut down their 2G services by 2033, making any device without 4G-capabilities obsolete.

While most mobile users have already transitioned to 4G or 5G networks, if you have an older handset, you'll be unable to access data services once 3G is phased out. Customers on the Three network may also lose the ability to send and receive text messages and make calls as the network does not operate its own 2G network, which serves as a backup.