Several months after Orange and just a few days after SFR, it is Bouygues’ turn to present the different stages to terminate its 2G and 3G services in France. As for the other operators, the shutdown of these networks should not take place for several years, to give professionals and individuals time to migrate to 4G and 5G.
End of applause for 2G in 2026, we will have to wait until 2029 for the end of 3G
In an interview collected by the Digital FactoryJean-Christophe Ravaux, director of the BtoB market for Bouygues Telecom, officially announced that the operator would end its 2G and 3G networks. According to the timetable set by the company, the 2G network should be deactivated in 2026 while the 3G network will be closed in 2029.
By way of comparison, SFR will end 2G a year earlier, in 2025. As for 3G, it will also be a year earlier than Bouygues Telecom, in 2028. The operator Orange had opted for the same program last year and should meet deadlines.
All antennas and frequencies released will be used to upgrade Bouygues Telecom’s 4G and 5G frequencies. This will make it possible to better cover the territory, especially in white and rural areas, which are always difficult to access for operators. Bouygues Telecom aims to offer its 4G/5G network to all of metropolitan France by the end of the decade.
Bouygues Telecom took its time before revealing its schedule
In March 2022, Bouygues Telecom spoke of the end of 2G and 3G in France, just weeks after Orange presented its plan to cut these networks. The incumbent considered that the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications, Mail and Press Distribution (Arcep) had a say in the disconnection of these networks still in use, mainly in the professional world.
For now the 2G and 3G network is still used by some factories, but also for emergency calls. The company’s CEO, Benoît Torloting, also said that the too rapid interruption of 2G/3G networks could have disconnected certain territories overnight. ” 2025 is short “, he specified at the time.
With Jean-Christophe Ravaux’s announcement, the company is giving itself one more year than its competitors to put an end to these old networks. This period of three to six years from today will allow organizations affected by these changes to adapt and acquire network equipment and SIM cards adapted to the use of 4G and 5G.
According to the GMSA, an association that brings together a good number of telephone operators from all over the world, only 21% of connections are made via 2G and 3G, while 75% of them use 4G. Within two years, 2G should be just a distant memory, and 3G will only cover 5% of usage…
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