2G phones will be disabled tomorrow

The 2G network was first deployed in Vietnam in 1993, bringing a major breakthrough to the telecommunications industry by allowing users to make calls, send messages and access basic mobile data. However, after more than three decades, this technology has become outdated in the face of the strong development of new network generations such as 4G, 5G and the upcoming 6G.

With slow data transmission speeds and increasingly exploited security holes, 2G is no longer suitable for current usage needs. In particular, 2G networks are easily exploited by high-tech criminals, spreading spam messages and performing SMS fraud.

Turning off 2G waves to promote national digital transformation

According to data from the Ministry of Information and Communications, there are currently about 700,000 active 2G Only subscribers, accounting for less than 1% of the total number of mobile subscribers in Vietnam. Most of these users are elderly people, living in remote areas and do not have much need to use modern mobile services.

Specifically, major carriers such as Viettel, VinaPhone, and MobiFone still maintain hundreds of thousands of 2G subscribers. Viettel currently has about 360,000 2G Only subscribers, VinaPhone has 150,000, and MobiFone has about 47,919 subscribers. Smaller networks such as Vietnamobile, ASIM, VNSKY, and Mobicast also maintain a small number of customers using this old technology.

Previously, the Ministry of Information and Communications had planned to shut down 2G waves on September 15, 2024. However, due to the impact of storm No. 3, this deadline was postponed by one month, with Circular No. 10/2024/TT-BTTTT issued on September 13, adjusting the official time to shut down 2G waves to October 15.

The process of communicating and guiding 2G Only customers to switch to modern mobile services has been carried out by network operators through many methods, from direct approach to indirect measures. However, due to the characteristics of this customer group, the conversion has encountered many difficulties.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ngay-mai-dien-thoai-2g-se-bi-vo-hieu-hoa-post316746.html