On February 28, 2022, Orange announced during the Mobile World Congress the planning of the shutdown of the historical 2G and 3G networks in Europe. Scheduled for 2025 for 2G and for 2028 for 3G in France, Bouygues Telecom is concerned about this shutdown which it considers brutal and calls for national consultation to discuss this subject.
Bouygues Telecom considers that Orange’s planning for the shutdown of 2G/3G is not the right one
” We are sending an appeal to Arcep or the General Directorate of Enterprises (DGE) to organize the subject “. These are the words of Benoît Torloting, CEO of Bouygues, addressed to 01net. He hopes that one of these two organizations can deal with and seize the subject in a legitimate way, by organizing for example, a large national consultation.
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The CEO explained that the impacts of this decision on the industrial sector, a sector where these 2G and 3G technologies are still used for many connected objects, could be significant. ATMs, automatic emergency calls, elevators, etc. All these devices still use 2G or 3G.
In addition, some areas in France do not yet benefit from 4G and would therefore become areas without a network in the event of a cut in these two technologies. Benoît Torloting finds that the deadlines set by Orange are quick: “ 2025 is short “, he specified. However, he did not come forward on a deadline, or even on his intention to do so.
Orange intends to use 2G/3G radio frequencies to improve the 4G/5G network
For its part, with the end of 2G and 3G, Orange intends to optimize the management of its networks, by favoring 4G and 5G. The radio frequencies currently used for 2G and 3G will be used to improve the capacity and coverage of 4G and 5G networks, in both urban and rural areas, according to the firm. The operator claims that this strategy will provide the customer with better voice quality via VoLTE technology, higher throughput, lower latency and enhanced security.
The shutdown of the 2G/3G network should be done in parallel with the shutdown of another historic network, that of copper. Orange intends to start work in January 2026 for a final closure in 2030. Gradually, the copper network will be closed to allow time for current users of ADSL technology, still many, to switch to fiber optics. More than ever, Orange wants to modernize its networks, hoping to meet its sustainable development objectives.