The company said this update follows successful switch off pilots across Plymouth and Basingstoke in February 2023. Vodafone’s 2G network, which currently covers over 99 per cent of the UK population, will remain in place for calls and texts.
Vodafone said the retirement of its 3G network is an important part of its strategy to reach Net Zero for its UK operation by 2027, with 5G networks being much more energy efficient.
The company has found that sending a terabyte of data across its 5G network uses 7 per cent of the energy used to send the same amount of data across its 3G network.
The national shutdown will happen in phases throughout the remainder of 2023, starting in June with Hull, Oxford and Greater London before progressing across the South. The remainder of the UK will follow later in the year.
Andrea Dona, network director, UK, Vodafone, said, “Our focus remains to continue to build the UK’s most reliable mobile network and to continue to do this, we need to ensure our technologies are fit for purpose.
“3G use has already dropped significantly as most of Vodafone’s customers now use the 4G network. Currently less than 4 per cent of the data is used on our 3G network, in comparison to more than 30 per cent in 2016.
“We’re also strengthening and improving our 4G and 5G coverage and this can only mean good news for our customers as well as the wider UK economy.”