Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint all still have active 2G networks.
@sev Yet they shut down 3G last year, didn't they? 2G is supposed to be shutting down too.
https://www.digi.com/blog/post/how-to-stay-ahead-of-the-3g-network-sunset
See, these older bands are superior in terms of coverage. I'm not at all happy that we're moving towards a largely 4G and 5G-only world, we're going to need way more towers to have the same level of coverage. I wish 2G would remain, it's a great fallback for texts and phone calls (but not data lol). In cases of emergency or poor signal, people can still call and text. With 2G and 3G sunsetting, some people will be left with no coverage AT ALL.
5G is cool but its coverage is weak. It'll take forever until everyone can use it.
@realcaseyrollins No one has really shut down 3G, they’ve just greatly limited access to 3G for consumers. Unfortunately, 3G is infrastructural at this point — between systems that depend on its existence to aid in GPS and emergency communications, we won’t be rid of 860-920MHz cell frequencies any time soon.
@sev I honestly hope 2G lasts forever.
@realcaseyrollins If nothing else, take heart that there are HAMs and hackers who know how to make 2G antennas and, as they say, life uhh… finds a way.
@realcaseyrollins Yes. The problem I see is a corruption of incentives. There’s more incentive to provide gigabit-speed signal to devices in cities than there even is to provide kilobit speeds that penetrate into the deepest forests of the nation — a place where my customers need, at a minimum, 2G cell and texting in the event of an emergency.
The only good I can see coming of this is if the frequencies are opened back up to HAMs. But it won’t be — why would Verizon give up that valuable frequency-space?