Mobile operator Three has said it will switch off its 3G network by the end of 2024 as investment and customer usage shifts to 4G and 5G. The network said 5G usage on its network more than quadrupled last year and has already surpassed 3G network use.
It said shutting down 3G would free up resources to improve 4G connectivity and continue its 5G rollout, with more than £2 billion committed to the UK. Three said the demand for more data continues to increase and rose to 19GB per month per customer in December, a rise of 20% on the previous year, meaning there is a need to invest in newer, faster and more efficient technology.
5G is considerably faster than previous generations of mobile connectivity and is able to deliver larger amounts of data faster. The company said it expected 5G to account for 35% of data usage by the end of this year.
