3G Cellphones Continued Lifespan

[Alacron]

I'm an old geezer and need to know if a 3G celphone (used only for calls and texting) will work in the future when everything seems to be going to more high-powered systems, or do I need to get a 4G?

 

[chscag]

Tell us which iPhone you have? Most older iPhones will continue to work but slower than new models. As far as 3G is concerned the iPhone will just revert to the lower speeds even though your carrier is setup and using 4G and 5G.

 

[Alacron]

Tell us which iPhone you have? Most older iPhones will continue to work but slower than new models. As far as 3G is concerned the iPhone will just revert to the lower speeds even though your carrier is setup and using 4G and 5G.

Thanks. That tells me what I needed to know. It's not an iPhone, iit's just an old simple phone that I use just to call or text.

 

[MacInWin]

Carriers are planning to shut down 3G. Here is Verizon's take: 3G CDMA Network Shut off date set for December 31, 2022

And AT&T Act NOW - 3G is Going Away in 2022

And T-Mobile has a date set, too, but it may change again: T-Mobile delays shutdown of Sprint 3G network

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Thanks for the links Jake, I was going to say the same thing without doing the research.

3G is now 2 generations behind the current technologies, and unlike cell phones, these generations aren't 1 year apart but rather half a decade apart. So that means the 3G came into existence about 15 years ago and carriers aren't going to continue to support older technologies for the handful of holdovers since it's very expensive to do so.

You might think that all the carrier hype about free phones to get people to upgrade is in your benefit, it's not. Getting people to upgrade with as little friction (usually cost being the biggest one) as possible makes it so that they only need to maintain the current infrastructure while removing the old and saving money.

 

[Mac Man 2007]

There are cheap flip phones that you can buy that run 4G. Even simple flip phones. I have 2 that I am familiar with that cost less than $50 but there are more. One I just gave a new one to my brother who is computer illiterate called the GoFlip by Alcatel and it is 4G and even has wifi. So I got him set up when 3G phone go dead. I have the 1st gen iPhone SE (which BTW is the oldest 4G iPhone) for my regular use but for travel and going into places that run the risk of battery death I keep around a prepaid ZTE 233VL flip phone that Tracfone calls a smart phone. Well not exactly a smart phone but it does get internet service and has a long battery life for hiking and camping away from chargers and runs off the Verizon network. So there are plenty of 4G functional simple flip phones out there.