2G/3G Sunset: Risks, Challenges and Opportunities for Telcos

As the world moves towards faster and more advanced mobile networks,  the time has come for 2G and 3G to retire.  Winding down legacy network services is a necessary step towards  freeing up spectrum and resources  for newer technologies like 5G. While this may seem like a straightforward process, there are  a number of challenges and considerations  that need to be taken into account.

2G/3G Sunset and How to Prepare

As operators plan for the future, they must carefully balance the need to invest in newer 4G/5G technologies while also winding down legacy services like 2G/3G. It is done not only to free up limited spectrum—a physical constraint for service providers trying to roll out new cellular services—but reinforce infrastructure that will power a faster, more resilient 4G LTE and 5G network, currently being deployed all over the world.

Moreover, pressure from European National Regulatory Authorities (NRA’s) will call for an involuntary sunset of 2G/3G technologies at various stages. For telecommunication providers, this will require a strategic approach that takes into account the unique challenges and opportunities of each market, or else face the consequences of a failed 2G/3G sunset.

Problems That Occur With a 2G/3G Sunset

While phasing out legacy network services is a necessary step towards the future of mobile networks, it does come with a set of considerations:

Success depends on finding the right balance between migrating B2B and B2C customers while maintaining low customer churn in a competitive environment, careful consideration of strategic value propositions and staying aware of looming deadlines.

It may sound simple, but there’s a lot at stake.

Risks of a Failed 2G/3G Sunset

The risks associated with a failed 2G/3G sunset can have significant consequences for telecommunication operators.

Operators must balance the need to free up resources for newer technologies with the need to maintain coverage and connectivity for their customers, while proper communication can help to minimize financial losses and prevent negative impacts on brand reputation.

Sunsetting any network is a complex process, however, the added spectrum and resources can pave the way for faster, more advanced mobile networks that will benefit customers and operators alike. Therefore, it is essential for operators to carefully plan and execute the 2G/3G sunset to mitigate these risks and ensure a smooth transition.

How Should a Telco Prepare for a Sunset?

As the looming deadline to sunset legacy 2G/3G networks comes to a close, its important for Telcos to be prepared for these changes. Here’s how:

By following these steps, Operators can minimize the impact on customers and the business while ensuring a smooth transition to newer technologies.

Run the Best Migration and Pruning Project with Clintview

As 4G and 5G networks expand and become more sophisticated, it’s likely that we’ll see an increase in legacy sunsets in the years to come, leading to more impactful migration and pruning decisions. So, why not incorporate the right strategies into your own sunset project from the get go? 

Clintworld’s Clintview software is all-in-one expert simulation and analytics software built for telecom companies — powered by an advanced proprietary algorithm — to deliver truly personalized tariff recommendations for each and every customer. Learn more about how Clintview can make your migration project a breeze:

1. Configure Your Price Plans

Clintview is seamlessly integrated with your billing software, ensuring correct utilization and interpretation of your data across the entire platform. This enables a comprehensive comparison of your entire portfolio of price plans, options, and discounts which can even include those of your competitor.

2. Run a Best Tariff Simulation

Clintview’s simulation engine computes results for hundreds of price plan-option-combinations for every subscriber in the selected customer segment. The number of results can be reduced using Conditions, Decision Functions and Scenario parameters. Several simulations for different purposes can be configured.​

3. Analyze Your Top Results

As a fully automated solution, Clintview requires minimum OPEX to deliver relevant, consistent and automated results. Contract-by-contract, customer-by-customer with a proven track record of large operators beyond 20 million subscriptions, this is a solution that scales.

4. Export The Offer You Need

Use these insights across any channel to boost the performance of your portfolio. The inclusion of their contract, usage and options, provides such granular customization that helps consumers know and trust that they’re being given the best deal.

5. Built For Automated Scale

As a fully automated solution, Clintview requires minimum OPEX to deliver relevant, consistent and automated results. Contract-by-contract, customer-by-customer with a proven track record of large operators beyond 20 million subscriptions, this is a solution that scales.

When Are Sunsets Happening in Europe?

The process of phasing out 2G and 3G networks is underway, and it marks a significant milestone in the evolution of mobile telecommunications in Europe. Here’s a glimpse of when and where they’re happening.

So far, the DACH telcos have opted to remove their 3G network but keep 2G as a fallback for B2B customers using IoT/M2M applications, and B2C customers, even through reduced voice quality and longer connection times are to be expected.

Following in DACH’s footsteps, Czech Republic performed a quick shutdown, 2G is left as backup for now.

Many of the Nordic countries are keeping 2G to blanket hard-to-reach areas.

Orange opted for a 2G sunset and then a 3G sunset in France, and flipped the script in their other markets, i.e. Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

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