3G networks to be decommissioned in Vietnam by 2028

So far, the discontinuation of 2G and 3G services has mainly occurred in Europe and North America, but developing countries are quickly catching up and user habits are changing towards faster connections such as 4G and 5G.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the first wave of 5G networks arrived in the Philippines, South Korea, China, Australia and New Zealand, followed by Indonesia, India, Thailand and Malaysia.

According to ABI Research, telecom operators in the Asia-Pacific and Oceania regions will be the leaders in shutting down 2G and 3G networks. Analysts estimate that between 2019 and 2030, 13 telecom operators in the region will discontinue 3G services, followed by four in Europe, two in Africa and South America, and one in North America.

In the case of 2G networks, nine operators in the Asia-Pacific and Oceania regions are likely to shut down services before 2030. Meanwhile, three operators in Africa, North America and Europe and one in South America will do the same.

Jake Saunders, vice president of ABI Research, explained that the underlying technologies in emerging markets are evolving rapidly due to subscriber demand, something that can be seen in the number of 5G networks being deployed.

2G/3G devices are becoming less profitable, while 5G device prices are falling. Saunders noted that telecom operators are looking to consolidate infrastructure assets, and regulators are looking to repurpose spectrum to improve services. 2G (900MHz and 1800MHz) and 3G (2100MHz) frequencies are useful for indoor and wide-area coverage.

Old technologies like 2G, which is 30 years old, and 3G, which is almost 20 years old, are outdated and need to be modernized. 4G, 5G, and the upcoming 6G represent a new evolution of mobile networks, offering faster speeds, more capacity, and better operational efficiency. 2G and 3G were designed for basic data and voice services, but today’s technologies have far exceeded that and support applications that require high data rates, such as streaming video and new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT).

Nguyen Trong Tinh, deputy general manager of Viettel Telecom, said that the 2G shutdown provides many benefits to both society and the telecom operator. Viettel began shutting down 3G in 2022 and will complete the process by Q1 2023.

Nguyen Van Son, director of Viettel Telecom’s Mobile Center, confirmed that almost the entire Viettel network no longer has 3G subscribers and only a few access points support transmission.

“Viettel is actively transitioning from 2G to 4G customers. By the end of 2024, Viettel’s customers will only be 4G and 5G subscribers,” Son added.

In response to VietNamNet’s inquiry about the 3G shutdown timeline, Nguyen Phong Nha said that during the policy development, all telecom operators discussed with the Ministry of Information and Communications and agreed that the global trend is to discontinue the use of older technologies such as 2G and 3G. However, a gradual transformation plan is necessary to support the transformation and minimize the impact on users.

More specifically, 2G will be phased out in two stages. As for 3G, users can continue to use it until September 2028. In addition to Viettel, which has already shut down 3G, other operators such as VinaPhone and MobiFone will halt 3G services in areas where there are no 3G subscribers or traffic. However, they will maintain their 3G networks to ensure that users with 3G devices or 4G devices without VoLTE can still access the network.

“The joint effort to phase out old technologies such as 2G and 3G with a relatively long transition period until 2028 will allow users to gradually transition to 4G. It also gives telecom operators time to allocate resources, invest and optimize networks, moving their subscribers to 4G and 5G. This policy has received unanimous support from telecom operators. I hope the transition plan will be implemented successfully,” Nha said.

Thai Khang