FCC planned 3G phaseout of cellular service will affect 911 connectivity

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Three of the nation’s largest cellular providers are planning to phase out devices that operate on 3G networks by the end of this year, meaning older mobile phones and other devices connected via 3G will not be able to dial 911.

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), major cellular providers AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile plan to phase out 3G cellular services and devices by the end of 2022.

The FCC said last year that as providers phase out 3G devices, anyone using those devices will no longer be able to make or receive calls or texts on them, including calls to 911.

The cellular providers have different completion dates for the 3G phaseout, according to the FCC, but all are expected to finish by the end of the year.

AT&T will be the first to complete their shutdown, which should come at the end of February, T-Mobile plans to complete theirs by the end of March, with Sprint’s (Sprint is owned by T-Mobile) 3G CDMA also slated for the end of March and Sprint 4G LTE planned for the end of June, and finally, Verizon plans to end their 3G service by December of 2022.

The FCC advised the proposed timelines are estimates of when the companies plan to end their usage of 3G, so services may be phased out earlier than the stated dates.

Many smaller cellular providers such as Cricket, Boost, and others often utilize networks owned by the three larger companies, so customers of those providers may be affected as well.

The FCC advised that anyone concerned their device(s) may be affected by the phaseout should contact their service provider to have a plan in place — especially if they have no other means to contact emergency services.

Further, with many charitable organizations and homeless shelters often giving individuals or families out-of-service phones that still can connect to 911, the FCC advised individuals and groups should confirm the devices are still active once 3G service is discontinued.

The FCC also has a program designed to provide eligible low-income consumers assistance with purchasing cellular or landline services.

The shutdown may affect devices such as certain medical devices, tablets, smartwatches, vehicle SOS services, home security systems, and other connected products that be using 3G network services.

Phaseouts such as this are common as providers continuously upgrade the networks their devices operate on. The FCC noted the phaseout of 2G services when carriers switched to offering 4G services.