Europe’s legacy networks: 3G and 2G still matter in the age of 5G

Despite a wave of 3G shutdowns across Europe, many users continue to rely heavily on legacy 3G and 2G networks. These outdated technologies present unique challenges for operators and regulators seeking to modernize infrastructure while minimizing user disruption.

This analysis explores reliance on 3G and 2G across 36 European markets, highlights recent 3G shutdowns in the U.K., and underscores the implications for mobile experience and operator strategies. The European region is at the forefront of this critical transition with over half (52.6%) of global 2G and 3G switch-offs either completed, planned, or in progress taking place in this region (according to a July 2024 Global mobile Suppliers Association report).

Key Findings:

• Nordic countries lead in the move away from 3G and 2G. Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden — along with the Netherlands — occupy the last five positions for the proportion of time our users spend with a 2G or 3G connection.
• Users in Moldova spend the most time with a 2G or 3G connection.
  Moldova has the highest Time on 2G/3G score — 18.9%. Our Moldovan users also spend the largest proportion of time with a 3G connection – 17.6%. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malta and Albania are in second, third and fourth place, respectively, for both Time on 2G/3G and Time on 3G.
• The highest 2G use is in Luxembourg. Users in Luxembourg spend the highest proportion of time on 2G — 4.5% — followed by those in Greece and Czechia. Greece has shut down its 3G networks, but its Time on 2G/3G is only slightly lower than that of the U.K.
• Vodafone U.K.’s 3G shutdown results in more time on 2G. In the U.K., EE and Vodafone have switched off their 3G networks, while 3 is in the process of doing so. Our Vodafone users have seen a significant dip in Availability and an increase in Time on 2G. Vodafone turned off 3G relatively abruptly compared to 3 and began the process with a much higher Time on 3G than EE.

For mobile users, legacy networks mean missing out on the superior experience provided by 4G and 5G. For operators, transitioning away from legacy technologies enables more efficient spectrum use, reduces costs, and improves energy efficiency. Yet, challenges remain — from minimizing disruption for users to upgrading IoT devices and improving coverage. By examining reliance on 3G and 2G, we assess the readiness of various European markets to sunset these technologies.

In the race to move away from legacy technologies, Nordic countries are in the lead — along with the Netherlands, while many Western European markets, such as France, Germany, the UK, and Austria, are following behind. Our Norwegian users spend the least Time on 2G/3G, followed by those in the Netherlands and Finland. At the other end of the scale is Moldova, where our users spend the most Time on 2G/3G, followed by those in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malta, and Albania. These markets also occupy the top four positions for Time on 3G. On average, our European users spend 5.5% of their time with a 2G or 3G connection.

The decision of which legacy technology to shut down first hinges to a large extent on business customers, particularly those using 2G/3G services for IoT (Internet of Things) devices such as smart meters — and in the case of France, elevators. The French Elevator Federation has asked for the shutdown of 2G/3G networks to be delayed as the elevator industry isn’t ready for the change, with nearly half of elevators in the country being equipped with 2G or 3G technology. Many other factors are also involved, including operators’ spectrum holdings, the age of the equipment and the level of investment they’ve made in each technology. There’s also the speed at which operators transitioned from 2G to 3G. 3G offers no distinct advantages over 4G, which can perform all of 3G’s functions more efficiently, and 3G networks generally have higher operational costs than 2G.

An additional consideration is legacy circuit-switched voice which needs to be supported for devices that do not support Voice over LTE (VoLTE). A small number of devices are still in this category and switching off both 2G and 3G removes their ability to make calls, which may breach regulatory requirements.

We now turn to 3G — across Europe, it tends to be sunset first. Our analysis reveals that, on average, our European mobile users spend 3.9% of their time connected to 3G networks. This conceals significant variation between countries and operators. While nations like Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina show a high reliance on 3G, others, such as Norway and Finland, are already nearing the complete phase-out of 3G, with users spending almost no time on the network.

Our users in Moldova spend the highest proportion of time on 3G — 17.6%, well ahead of those in second-placed Bosnia and Herzegovina, and third-placed Malta. Albania’s position in fourth place is largely driven by ONE Albania’s high Time on 3G score of 15.3% (Vodafone’s score is 5.5%).

Ireland places fifth for Time on 3G across the analyzed markets. Eir and 3 have statistically tied scores of 8.1-9.2%, while Vodafone reports much lower — 4%, this is unsurprising given that it  begun the final phase of its switch off process in October.

France is the only European member of the G7 with a Time on 3G score above 5%. The country’s national average would be lower if it weren’t for the experience of our Free Mobile users. They spend 8.1% of their time on 3G, significantly higher than that reported by users with other operators. This is not surprising given that almost a quarter of Free Mobile subscribers aren’t on 4G/5G plans.

Poland holds the seventh highest position for Time on 3G, largely due to Plus, which scores 16.8%. The next highest Polish operator for this metric is Orange with 5.4%. Notably, T-Mobile Poland shut down its 3G network in 2023.

Spain shows considerable variation in Time on 3G among its operators, with an overall score of 4.3%. Users on Yoigo spend 9% of their time on 3G, those on Movistar 5.7%, 4.7% for Orange and just 1.1% for Vodafone. Vodafone was in the later stages of switching off its 3G network during the data collection period used in this analysis. Austria also illustrates this variation, with our A1 users spending 6.2% of their time with a 3G connection, while those on 3 spend just 2%. Magenta has also completed its 3G switch-off this year.

Across Europe, 2G networks stay on due to their critical role in IoT applications, reliable coverage in rural and remote areas and lower operational costs. On average, our users across the analyzed markets spend 1.7% of time on 2G.

Our users in Luxembourg spend the most Time on 2G - 4.5%. Greece — which has shut down its 3G networks — places second — 4.1% — followed by those in Czechia and Slovakia. In Greece, our Nova users spend 6% of their Time on 2G, compared to statistically tied scores of 3.5-3.6% for those on Cosmote and Vodafone. In Czechia, Vodafone users have the highest Time on 2G, 5.1%, followed by O2 and T-Mobile with tied scores of 3.2-3.7%.

4ka users in Slovakia spend 9.9% of their time with a 2G connection, while those on its rivals’ networks spend just 2.8-3.2%. Out of the European members of the G7 (France, Germany, Italy and the U.K.), our German users spend the most time on 2G — 2.3% versus 1.7% and 1.6% for the U.K. and Italy, respectively. The German average would be higher if it weren’t for Telekom, as it scores 1.5% for Time on 2G compared to 2.4% and 2.8% for O2 and Vodafone, respectively. Germany’s operators shut down their 3G networks in 2021, so 2G is the only legacy mobile technology still in operation.

Operators within the same market often make distinct choices about which legacy network to retain and how to balance usage across mobile generations. In Romania, for example, Telekom and Digi Mobil have fully shut down their 3G networks, while Orange and Vodafone continue to support 3G, with our users spending 5.5-6.4% of their time connected to 3G. Conversely, Telekom prioritized 2G, with users spending 8.1% of their time with a 2G signal — far higher than the next higher score of 1.8% reported by our Vodafone users.

Shutting down a legacy network typically takes place over several years as it involves measures such as:

• Banning the sale or import of 3G-only devices (governments and regulators)
• Withdrawing the sale of 3G-only devices, sims and packages and encouraging those currently on them to move to 4G-capable versions
• Building out additional 4G and 5G coverage in areas that are currently only served by the technology to be shut down.
• Working with business customers to migrate/upgrade/replace their devices
• Liaising with other stakeholders such as suppliers and emergency services

Once reliance on the legacy technology has dropped to an acceptable level, then an operator can start shutting down the network. Many operators do so region-by-region to give them more time to roll out 4G or 5G coverage in those that are lagging behind. Operators often repurpose much of the spectrum used to support legacy technologies prior to shutting them down.

Over in the U.K., EE and Vodafone both completed their 3G shutdowns in early 2024, while 3’s is due to finish at the end of 2024 — and has already taken place across most of the UK. O2’s has yet to take place, but it intends to fully switch off its 3G network by the end of 2025.

When we look at the proportion of time our U.K. users spend connected to 3G over time, we can see that EE, Vodafone and 3 have taken different approaches to their 3G shutdowns. EE began its shutdown with a much lower Time on 3G score than the other two operators. Vodafone and 3 began their 3G shutdowns with comparable scores — but Vodafone’s has been more abrupt than 3’s.

Vodafone’s relatively abrupt 3G switch-off has had consequences for its users. Unlike our EE and 3 users’, those with Vodafone have seen a significant dip in Availability (the percentage of time our users spend with a mobile broadband connection — either 3G, 4G or 5G) and an increase in the amount of time they spent on 2G. However, 3 never had a 2G network and EE had the advantage of starting from a much better position than Vodafone in terms of time on 3G.

If you work for an operator or a telecoms regulator and are interested in deeper insights into the topics raised in this analysis, please reach out to us. Opensignal will continue to report on and explore the impact of 3G shutdowns on users’ mobile network experience in future reports and insights.