Remember 3G? It's going away as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile shift to 5G. What to know about 3G shutdown

In 2002, Verizon was the archetypal to motorboat a 3G web successful the U.S., during a clip erstwhile the BlackBerry was the apical smartphone to ain and we were 5 years distant from the accomplishment of the iPhone.

At that time, we were chiefly utilizing our phones for texting, taking pictures and—gasp!—calling people.

Almost 20 years later, our smartphones present let america to transportation a miniature machine successful our pocket, susceptible of email, photos, societal media, watching TV, gaming, video calls—you sanction it.

Those added features mean having wireless networks to enactment them. As AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile usher successful the 5G era, they're besides astir to extremity their enactment for 3G.

Here's what the farewell to 3G means for you:

When is 3G going away?

AT&T says its 3G work volition unopen down successful February 2022. Verizon says their 3G CDMA web volition spell distant nary aboriginal than the extremity of adjacent year. T-Mobile says it volition discontinue each its 3G networks, including those obtained done its merger with Sprint, by 2022.

When it does spell away, owners of 3G phones volition nary longer beryllium capable to marque telephone calls.

Which devices are impacted?

AT&T has a implicit database of the phones affected by the shutdown, including each iPhones earlier the iPhone 6 and respective Galaxy models. It besides impacts 4G phones that bash not enactment the HD Voice feature.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, different gadgets specified arsenic medical devices, conveyance SOS services, location information systems, and different connected products could halt moving erstwhile 3G goes distant for good.

How tin I hole myself?

The FCC advises visiting your wireless bearer to find whether your telephone is affected. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile person details connected which devices are impacted. Some devices mightiness lone necessitate a software update to proceed moving erstwhile 3G is retired.

For different devices, cheque with the shaper to find whether it requires a bundle update oregon an upgrade.

Another happening to consider: whether you person an older telephone useful successful lawsuit of emergency. Those phones won't beryllium capable to dial 911 if needed, truthful you should see replacing them.

What is 5G? Does my telephone enactment it?

It's the 5th procreation mobile network, which volition assistance our smartphones and different connected devices tally faster. On our smartphones, it means we tin download, upload oregon watercourse video arsenic good arsenic upload oregon download photos much quickly.

"5G is designed to bash a assortment of things that tin alteration our lives, including giving america faster download speeds, debased latency, and much capableness and connectivity for billions of devices," said semiconductor spot institution Qualcomm successful a station explaining 5G.

Some existent smartphones already enactment 5G, including Apple's iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lines, and Samsung's Galaxy smartphones.

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