Verizon CDMA network shutdown is set to happen by Dec. 31, 2019
According to reports, Verizon Wireless plans to shut down its 2G CDMA network by the end of 2019; AT&T Mobility is going through a similar process with a shut down timeframe of January 2017 for its GSM-based 2G service.
The carrier’s 2G network is used for voice traffic for some consumer subscribers, and in support of “internet of things” machine communications.
Verizon Communications’ corporate public relations team member Chuck Hamby told Fierce Wireless: “We will not abandon a single customer. We will work with each of the customers one-on-one. Should there be stragglers, we will continue to work with them.”
Hamby didn’t immediately respond to a request for the number of potentially impacted 2G consumer and machine connections.
AT&T Mobility initially announced plans in mid-2012 to shut down its 2G network, noting at the time the move would allow the carrier to refarm vital spectrum assets in the 850 MHz and 1.9 GHz bands to support its current HSPA-based 3G and LTE-based services. The planned shut down timeframe is January 2017, with the carrier noting earlier this year the move would bolster its IoT platform.
“Since we launched our 2G networks, new technologies such as smartphones, social media and wirelessly connected machines send large amounts of data across our networks,” AT&T stated. “In order to meet this demand, we need to allocate our spectrum as efficiently as possible. IoT customers will be able to significantly improve their applications and solutions (e.g. video cameras for real-time streaming/records for alarm solutions; driver dash cameras for fleet trucks; etc.) because of the higher speeds of the upgraded network, allowing them to better serve their customers and employees. These enhancements would not be possible on the 2G network. The retirement of our 2G network – like our earlier retirement of the analog wireless network – is part of the continuing evolution of AT&T’s network infrastructure.”
