Sudden 2G network shut down - Airtel Jersey

conductor71

I was shocked to get a text yesterday from my main PAYG service provider in Jersey, Airtel-Vodafone, advising me that that they are switching off their 2G network on 1st April. Their Twitter page has never said anything about this. After some searching, I found a quiet notice hidden away on their website. They are offering a "free" 3G handset but it's not free because I would have to purchase £30 or £40 credit, which is way more than I would ever use before it expires.

I briefly checked the regulatory situation and all I can find is a Consumer Code of Conduct for Airtel from 2014 on the web page of the local Regulator about making a complaint but it is worryingly wooly and doesn't even mention 2G, nor require them to provide a 2G service, or any other service for that matter. Other than a requirement to give a month's notice of any change, it is hard to see on what grounds I could complain.

I choose not to use smartphones - I can access internet services on other devices including an i-Pad if I want to - and some other elderly members of my family use the same basic feature phones as me. I've very recently bought some newer 2017 feature phones (but not directly from Airtel) and I'm really angry that I won't be able to use them on Airtel come April. I feel cheated. Until a couple of weeks ago, Airtel were offering big incentives (e.g. £60 free PAYG credit) for customers of other networks to port their numbers to Airtel but there was no mention at all that they were about to shut down their 2G service.

There are 2 other mobile networks in Jersey and this obviously raises the question of whether they could also choose to shut down their 2G services at very short notice in the future without breaking the terms of their license. Surely the public has the right to know of any future plans to switch off parts of the network well in advance, say a year or so before the planned switch off? I have also heard that some mobile networks in Europe have even switched off their 3G service as well so this might be a possibility in Jersey too.

How does this compare to the UK mainland mobile networks - what sort of notice period did they have to provide before switching off 2G and has anyone complained to their local Trading Standards about the lack of advance notice given?

Another unrelated grumble - why am I still not allowed to post links in my posts despite being a member of this site for years? It is telling me I'm a "new user". Can Admin not sort this out?

Frozen_up_north

2G services in various countries are being switched off, so no surprise there.

Not long ago phones were being advertised in newspapers that said "not compatible with the 3 network", which means they were only 2G... Not something to consider buying.

pmduk

conductor71 wrote: »

Another unrelated grumble - why am I still not allowed to post links in my posts despite being a member of this site for years? It is telling me I'm a "new user". Can Admin not sort this out?

You are relatively 'new' having made only 6 posts, sadly it's a necessary anti-spam measure to prevent post and run merchants.

I'm not aware of any network in the UK switching off 2G, save perhaps 3 who ended it's roaming agreement with o2 for 2G phones making it a solely 3G network. That was so long ago I don't remember how it was handled.

[Deleted User]

Are there many 2G only phones still around let alone being sold?

pmduk

Only at the very low end of the market in the UK

indesisiv

I wasn't even aware you could buy 2g only phones nowadays.

sparky93

indesisiv wrote: »

I wasn't even aware you could buy 2g only phones nowadays.

a lot of usb/rs232 data modems are still available to buy new.(telemetry)
such as
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/c/computing-peripherals/wireless-components-modules/gsm-gprs-modems/

boatman

http://airtel-vodafone.com/support/2G-switch-off

Out of interest, which 'feature rich' phone have you bought that only has 2g on it? I would have thought all but the simplest of phones would have at least 3g on it.

Kernel_Sanders

boatman wrote: »

http://airtel-vodafone.com/support/2G-switch-off

Out of interest, which 'feature rich' phone have you bought that only has 2g on it? I would have thought all but the simplest of phones would have at least 3g on it.

You can get them with FM radio, LED torches, alarms, stopwatches, CALCULATORS, converters and even voice recording. Mine also has a SD card slot as it plays MP3s.

esuhl

Colin_Maybe wrote: »

Are there many 2G only phones still around let alone being sold?

Plenty -- most feature-phones don't support 3G. And feature phones are ideal for people who only need to call and text, and want decent battery life with a smaller, lighter device. And they're a lot cheaper and easier-to-use than smartphones.

For most people, smartphones are just a toy to fiddle with when they're bored and stuck on public transport. It's not like you can really do any serious work on them.

PHK

esuhl wrote: »

Plenty -- most feature-phones don't support 3G. And feature phones are ideal for people who only need to call and text, and want decent battery life with a smaller, lighter device. And they're a lot cheaper and easier-to-use than smartphones.

For most people, smartphones are just a toy to fiddle with when they're bored and stuck on public transport. It's not like you can really do any serious work on them.

Talk about a sweeping generalisation. I disagree that feature phones are easier to use. On a smartphone my elderly friend can just press the picture of who she wants to call. Rather than going into contacts, scrolling down etc.

A larger on-screen keyboard will always be easier to use than a tiny key that you have to press three times. Or pressing asterisk twice to switch to capital letters. A larger screen allows bigger text which is easier to read.

A smartphone allows access to more flexible messaging and calling. Call your friend in Australia? No cost using WhatsApp, Skype, Messenger etc. Or pay international rates or bundle using a feature phone.

Battery life isn't really an issue as long as you can charge every other day or so. My friend charges her iPhone every two to three days while she watches TV of an evening.
Yes, if you want you can listen to music or watch videos or play games but you don't have to.