Basingstoke and Plymouth Vodafone 3G mobile switch off under way

The first phase of Vodafone's project to switch off its 3G mobile broadband platform is under way.

The company plans to repurpose the radio frequencies for faster 4G and 5G services, starting in Plymouth in Devon, and Basingstoke in Hampshire.

Any customers who have not moved over to those services will be switched over to the operator's 2G network.

The mobile network plans to complete the switch-off across the UK by December.

Vodafone said it had chosen to start the process in Plymouth and Basingstoke because it had invested more than £3m to "improve the speed, coverage and reliability of the network" in those areas.

It said it had also upgraded 40 network sites, and boosted indoor 4G coverage to more than 99%.

The company claimed more than 70% of customers there were already using 4G and 5G.

Ker Anderson, Vodafone's head of radio network, told the BBC that the switch off was a "great thing".

He said: "It means we can use the network more effectively and more efficiently, which will allow customers to get better access to data.

"The call quality will be better on 4G and 5G technology, so it's really just trying to bring people along up the technology stack."

Vodafone launched 3G in the UK in 2004, but less than 4% of the data used on its network currently travels on 3G, compared to 30% in 2016.

The company plans to switch off 2G by 2033.

Three, BT, and EE, have announced they will switch off their 3G in 2024.

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