Singapore to Shut Down 2G Services in the Country

Singapore to Shut Down 2G Services in the Country. Recently the government of Singapore banned the sale of 2G-only mobile phones. It announced that it will stop selling 2G phones and other devices from January 2017.

Now Singapore plans to shut down 2G services in the country in April. So that it will be able to re-allocate rare radio frequency spectrum and meet increasing consumer demand for high-speed data.

With this move many people will have to give up their handsets and will be left disconnected. It is estimated that 140,000 users will have to give up their mobile phones. Mostly the old generation use 2G phones, as they are unable to cope with the pace of technology.

Singapore to Shut Down 2G Services in the Country

According to AFP,

“From technophobic pensioners to cash-strapped migrant workers, some 140,000 people in highly-wired Singapore still use the city-state’s second generation (2G) network and cheap, robust handsets…2G has long been superseded technologically, with new gold standard 5G offering lightning fast connectivity for a generation used to streaming movies and TV directly to phones”.

The leading telco in Singapore, Singtel indicated that starting from April this year, the 2G network across not just Singtel, but all other telcos 2G networks will slowly shut down.

Also Read: Singapore Leads Hong Kong in Contest for Asia’s Fintech Hotspot

“But not to worry – you can continue to enjoy our phone and data services without disruption just by upgrading to a 3G or 4G handset now.”

Singtel informed.

Now Users Can Enjoy Phone and Data Services without Disruption by Simply Upgrading to a 3G or 4G Handset

While explaining the reason as to why 2G has to be ended in Singapore, Singtel added,

“To cater to increasing demand for data and faster access speeds, it is necessary to close the older 2G network. So that faster, more advanced 4G services can be deployed on the same spectrum. Customers using 3G and 4G handsets will not be affected.”

Analyst Moon informed that by 2021, 2G will still account for around 11 percent of total mobile subscriptions internationally. Affordability, longer battery life and durability of 2G handsets were the main reasons people used them for.

In Singapore, those affected by the shift are more likely to be the city’s migrant worker population. They depend on affordable 2G phones to stay in touch with their family. Others include the old generation as they are unable to use touchscreen smartphones due to it’s complicated features.

Also Read: Singapore Puts Ban on Sale of 2G Devices