Vodafone warning as network plans 3G shutdown affecting 670,000 customers

dailystar.co.uk:

Vodafone has announced it will retire its 3G network next year to boost speeds on its newer mobile internet services.The scaling down of its older and slower 3G network in favour of 4G and 5G technology will mean larger parts of the country will have more reliable online connectivity.Around 4% of the network's customers will be affected – roughly 670,000 people.The programme will see 3G coverage gradually phased out and replaced by strengthened 4G and 5G services.The multinational telecommunications company also said the move was part of plans to help it reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2027, with the more modern 5G network over 10 times as energy efficient as old 3G equipment.Vodafone will begin a campaign of communication to customers today, and will continue to share information, advice and guidance to customers to ensure they can stay connected during the change next year.Vodafone CEO Ahmed Essam said: "We’re building the UK’s most reliable mobile network, and focusing on the technologies that best connect our customers and have the least impact on the environment."We’re going to be focused on giving customers a faster and more reliable mobile experience – and minimising our impact on the environment by taking away a layer of our network that uses inefficient equipment."We start communicating to customers about this today – our goal is for everyone to stay connected, and we’ll be doing everything we can to make sure that’s the case."Vodafone's 3G service was launched 17 years ago, and nearly 500 billion minutes of calls have been made on the wireless technology – the equivalent of 951,293 calendar years.By 2016, 3G accounted for more than 30 percent of the data shared across the company's network – but that has now.