Announcing the roadmap to end 'brick' phones

TPO - From September 16, 2024, except for the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos and DK platform, the remaining areas across the country will turn off 2G waves, brick phones with only 2G function will officially no longer be usable.

The Ministry of Information and Communications has just announced a roadmap to stop 2G phone signals nationwide. Accordingly, from September 16, 2024, mobile services will not be provided to subscriber terminals that only support 2G, except for the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagos and the DK platform.

From September 15, 2024 to September 15, 2026, the Ministry of Information and Communications will still grant licenses to network operators to maintain 2G technology to provide services to 3G and 4G subscribers without VoLTE (no voice service). From September 2026, the 900 MHz band (currently used for 2G) will be reclaimed, auctioned and licensed for 4G and 5G.

When turning off 2G waves, 'brick' phones with 3G and 4G functions can still work normally.

To support the conversion, network operators will implement a program to support the purchase of 4G smartphones or "brick" phones with 4G functionality and issue packages to support subscribers in converting, effective until September 16, 2024.

"Brick" phones that only have calling and texting functions will no longer be usable from September 16, 2024.

In addition, network operators will prevent 2G phones that are not certified to be in compliance with the regulations from entering the network. Enterprises will develop mobile base stations to ensure 4G network coverage to replace 2G networks when the 2G system is discontinued and will be completed before September 2026.

In addition, the Public Telecommunications Fund will support about 400,000 4G phones for poor and near-poor households to make the switch.

According to Mr. Nguyen Phong Nha, Deputy Director of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Information and Communications, the policy of stopping 2G technology and switching to 4G aims to promote the fourth industrial revolution, helping people to access public services and transactions in a modern environment at high speed.

Another reason is that Vietnam is ready for 5G. A network operator cannot exist with 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G technology at the same time, it is very costly to exploit and operate the network. Therefore, stopping 2G and moving towards stopping 3G is the right policy of the Ministry of Information and Communications, receiving high consensus from businesses.

According to Mr. Doan Quang Hoan, General Secretary of the Vietnam Radio and Electronics Association, stopping 2G technology is in line with the general trend of the world , contributing to promoting people to switch to using faster, higher quality services, promoting digital transformation. Enterprises can eliminate old, outdated technology, while state management agencies can free up bandwidth for new, more effective technologies.

Currently, many network operators in the world have and are planning to turn off 2G and 3G waves. Many countries have turned off early such as Japan, the US, Australia, Singapore.

Nguyen Hoai