Singaporeans will soon see the existing 2G networks in the country shut down on 1 April 2017. The move was announced by a joint statement from all three of the country’s telcos – SingTel, M1, and StarHub.
All 2G voice, messaging, and data services will cease in Singapore from the appointed date, leaving only 3G and 4G networks operating in the country. The telcos believe that this change will affect only miniscule amount of users who are still using 2G-only phones. However, there will be increased awareness campaigns run as the date of the shut down nears to remind the public that dumbphones will no longer function.
This is not exactly a surprising move as SingTel had already announced plans to shut down its 2G network last year. Most Singaporeans now rely on smartphones, and leave the 2G networks under-utilised. While the aim of the exercise is to reduce costs, it also means that Singaporean telcos will soon have extra bandwidth for their remaining networks.
[Source: Channel News Asia]
