SmarTone announces October shutdown for 2G network

SmarTone announced that termination of its 2G services will take place on 14 October 2022. In response to the massive growth of mobile data usage in recent years and the decreasing market demand for 2G services, spectrum resources currently deployed for 2G network will be reallocated efficiently to drive 5G network development, bringing more innovative services and a better network experience to our customers.

Entering the 5G era, the need for and usage of mobile data and digitalized services are growing. The number of SmarTone customers upgraded to 5G has been increasing. As of April 2022, the number of SmarTone customers using 2G handsets or devices only account for less than 0.1% of its customer base. To fully utilise the existing spectrum resources utilised by the 2G network (i.e., the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands of spectrum), the spectrum will be reallocated on 14 October 2022 to be better utilized for more advanced mobile services to customers using + SmarTone’s 4G and 5G networks. SmarTone’s existing 2G network will continue as normal until 14 October 2022.

Norman Tam, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SmarTone, said, “The value of ‘Building Network with Heart’ has always been at the core of SmarTone’s development, and we will continue to adapt to the ever-changing needs of our customers to deliver the best possible user experience in 5G and beyond.”

To facilitate a smooth migration from 2G to more advanced mobile networks, SmarTone has been facilitating the affected customers to upgrade their 2G handsets or devices to those that support a higher generation mobile network since early 2021. SmarTone is also working with a few enterprise customers which are using 2G devices to ensure their smooth transition to 4G/5G services. SmarTone will continue to assist the affected customers in their upgrade of handsets or devices for enjoying 4G/5G services, and endeavour to offer proper arrangements to those who do not intend on upgrading from 2G.

CT Bureau