A MAJOR mobile network company has announced that they are turning their 3G network off in Paisley.

Vodafone revealed the news that they are ditching their legacy service which was introduced more than 20 years ago.

It comes after a customer awareness campaign which started in January 2022 and significant network improvements across the area in recent years including the introduction of 5G in Paisley.

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The latest phase follows successful 3G switch-offs in other UK locations, such as Glasgow in 2023, with the remainder of the UK following by the end of February 2024. 

The programme means the radio spectrum currently allocated for 3G can be used to strengthen 4G and 5G services further across the UK.

Meanwhile, Vodafone’s 2G network, currently covering over 99% of the UK population, will remain for calls, texts and several IoT services for the time being, alongside services such as 4G Calling which uses the 4G network to make and receive calls.

UK’s mobile network operators have confirmed to the Government that they do not intend to offer 2G or 3G mobile networks past 2033.  

Andrea Dona, Vodafone’s UK chief network officer said: “Our 3G switch-off programme has gone extremely well so far. 

“As a result of our ongoing network improvements, data traffic has declined over the last few years with less than 2% of the data used on our network being on 3G.  

“This means we can start to redeploy its remaining spectrum to our 4G and 5G services, ultimately leading to stronger and faster coverage for more parts of the UK.  

“Good news for both our customers but also the wider UK economy.  At the same time, with modern networks being much more energy efficient, its retirement is also an important step forward for us reaching  Net Zero for our UK operation by 2027.  

“As we continue to focus on building our reliable award-winning network, now really is the time to say goodbye to 3G.”