Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

In a subtle but interesting development, ISPreview has spotted that mobile operators Vodafone and Three UK have launched a new website – VodafoneThree – that sets out their plans ahead of the official completion of their c.£16bn mega-merger. This replaces their previous site (i.e. vodafoneandthree.uk has been retired in favour of vodafonethree.com).

Just to recap. The deal will see Vodafone retain a 51% slice of the business and CK Hutchison (Three UK) hold 49%. Both operators have previously promoted the deal as being “great for customers, great for the country and great for competition,” while also promoting a major £11bn investment to upgrade the UK’s 5G mobile (broadband) infrastructure and coverage.

The new website largely reiterates their prior commitments, albeit now re-packaged around the singular ‘VodafoneThree‘ branding. But the language of the website also indicates that the announcement of their final deal completion must be imminent, possibly even occurring this week. For example, there’s this extract:

Tomorrow starts today

Better yet, customers don’t have to wait to feel the benefits. Within just six months, around 27 million Vodafone and Three customers will automatically be using each other’s networks – connecting them to the best coverage available, at no extra cost.

Meanwhile, the UK’s largest full-fibre footprint will be further supported by Fixed Wireless Access offers and site upgrades. All of which means a faster, more reliable service for every single customer, without having to lift a finger.

But we did notice the odd slight error or contradiction. For example, at the bottom of the front page of the new website it states that they’ll be “#1 for network … with full, nationwide 5G Standalone coverage by 2032“, which contradicts the 2034 date given elsewhere on the same site for achieving this (probably a typo).

However, it’s worth remembering that the hard part, which involves integrating teams, networks and offices (it’s also unclear what will happen to the ‘Three’ brand long-term) – as well as launching new products, often takes several years to be fully realised. Just ask BT and EE or O2 and Virgin Media, although they also had the complexity of fixed line networks to consider.

UPDATE 8:44am

Well that didn’t take long, the official announcement of merger completion dropped into our inbox right as we posted this article. We’ve covered that here.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The huge £16bn+ merger between mobile network operators Vodafone and Three UK (CK Hutchison) officially completed today, which will change the competitive dynamic of the UK market. The deal is also expected to help improve the national coverage of the latest 5G Standalone (mobile broadband) technologies, but concerns remain over jobs and consumer pricing.

Just to recap. The merger, which was first announced in June 2023 (here) and finally approved by the competition authority in December 2024 (here), will see Vodafone retain a 51% slice of the business and CKH hold 49%. Both operators have previously promoted the deal as being “great for customers, great for the country and great for competition,” while also resulting in a major £11bn investment to upgrade the UK’s 5G mobile infrastructure and coverage over the next ten years.

The move to create a single company (VodafoneThree) will, however, require the parties to follow several legally binding commitments. The goal of this, as expressed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), is to ensure that the new company delivers on its planned improvements to network coverage and caps the prices of “selected” mobile tariffs and data plans for the next 3 years. The CMA also required some changes to ensure effective wholesale (MVNO) competition.

The move should help the Government to deliver on their “renewed push to fulfil the ambition of full gigabit and national 5G coverage by 2030,” which is something that Ofcom will now need to ensure is delivered. The operators have also launched a new website to highlight their plans – VodafoneThree, which is something we covered earlier and only a few minutes before the official announcement (here).

Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group CEO, said:

“The merger will create a new force in UK mobile, transform the country’s digital infrastructure and propel the UK to the forefront of European connectivity. We are now eager to kick-off our network build and rapidly bring customers greater coverage and superior network quality. The transaction completes the reshaping of Vodafone in Europe, and following this period of transition we are now well-positioned for growth ahead.”

Canning Fok, Deputy Chairman of CKH and Executive Chairman of CKHGT, said:

“As we have demonstrated in other European markets, scale enables the significant investment needed to deliver the world-beating mobile networks our customers expect, and the Vodafone and Three merger provides that scale. In addition, this transaction unlocks significant shareholder value, returning approximately £1.3 billion in net cash to the Group.”

However, despite all of today’s soundbites of optimism, many consumers remain unconvinced by the agreement and are still concerned about what will happen to cheaper mobile plans once the three-year period of price protection has elapsed. The fears of future price hikes and the gradual removal of cheap plans from the UK market, either directly or via MVNO providers (e.g. iD Mobile, Smarty etc.), seem unlikely to go away anytime soon.

In addition, many of the merged company’s workers will now be going through a period of some uncertainty, which reflects the fact that the new company will be looking for cost efficiencies and such things often get reflected through the removal of duplication (i.e. duplication of both roles and network infrastructure). Inevitably, such deals tend to result in job losses, which may hit in the near future.

At the same time, it’s worth remembering that today’s completion only refers to the legal agreement and its details. The hard part, which involves integrating teams, networks and offices (it’s also unclear what will happen to the ‘Three’ brand long-term) – as well as launching new products, often takes several years to fully realise. Just ask BT and EE or O2 and Virgin Media, although they also had the complexity of fixed line networks to consider.

According to today’s announcement, in its first year, VodafoneThree plans to invest £1.3 billion in capex. This will enable the company to accelerate its network deployment. Consistent with previously communicated expectations, the combined business is expected to deliver cost and capex synergies of £700m per annum by the fifth year after completion and the transaction is expected to be accretive to Vodafone’s Adjusted free cash flow from FY29 onwards. Full alignment to Vodafone’s accounting policies is ongoing and pro forma financials will be provided in due course.

Finally, O2 (Virgin Media) and EE (BT) will now naturally face competition from a much larger player in the UK mobile market. At the same time, Ofcom’s staff may quietly relish the greater simplification of only having three mobile operators to herd instead of four, even if that outcome may have some negatives.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The UK government has today hailed the start of a new national campaign, funded by broadband giants BT and Virgin Media, which aims to help support and encourage vulnerable people in their efforts to switch from legacy phone lines to new digital (IP / VoIP based) networks before the deadline.

In case anybody has forgotten, the big analogue phone switch-off was recently delayed to 31st January 2027 in order to give broadband ISPs, phone, telecare providers, councils and consumers more time to adapt (details). The main focus of this was the 1.8 million UK people who use vital home telecare systems (e.g. elderly, disabled, and vulnerable users), which aren’t always compatible with digital phone services (i.e. telecare providers were slow to adapt). For everybody else, the switchover deadline is still technically Dec 2025.

The industry-led shift is being driven by the looming retirement of copper lines in favour of full fibre (FTTP), as well as future exchange closures and the declining reliability of the old phone network (Ofcom states that related fault rates substantially increased by 45% in 2024). Not to mention that it is not economically feasible to maintain both the old and new networks side-by-side long term.

The government has already responded to these concerns by encouraging the industry to adopt various changes and work more closely together (here and here). For example, operators must now ensure that no vulnerable customers are migrated by the major providers (e.g. BT, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Sky Broadband) until their telecare systems have been confirmed to work with the new digital phone service. The latter may involve engineer visits to homes, as well as the offer of a free battery back-up device (protection during power outages) and more.

However, the new national awareness campaign (National Telecare Campaign) recognises that some problems remain, such as with the fact that not all elderly and disabled people may be aware of this change or how to solve it. In addition, not all internet and phone providers will have accurate knowledge of exactly which customers could be defined as “vulnerable” in the first place.

The new campaign thus seeks to encourage vulnerable users to identify themselves and contact their provider, assuming they haven’t already done so. Many local authorities and private telecare operators have already signed data sharing agreements with phone providers to ensure that as many telecare users have been identified as possible, but even these are not perfect.

Telecoms Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said:

“We cannot afford to leave anyone behind during the vital transition to digital landlines. I have personally set a strict checklist of safeguards for industry to comply with before they migrate any telecare user.

This industry-led campaign marks a further step towards keeping people safe as we boost the resilience of our networks for the digital age.

I urge anyone with a telecare alarm – or anyone close to a user of a telecare alarm – to pick up the phone and contact their provider to access the help that’s available.”

From today, adverts will appear across TV, newspapers, social media and select radio stations around the country running over the next few months to ensure widespread reach (digitalphoneswitchover.com). This is coupled with newly created posters which will be on display in GP surgeries, hospitals, pharmacies and post offices.

The advertising campaign is expected to be seen by 95% of all adults in the UK, including 98% of those over 65. BT and Virgin Media landline customers can also call on 150 from their home phone to get more information (both have the highest population of landline-only users).

Claire Gillies, BT Group’s Consumer CEO, said:

“Moving customers onto newer digital services is a necessary step as the reliability of the 40-year-old analogue landline technology is increasingly fragile – therefore the time to act is now.

The Digital Switchover project requires team collaboration, so we’ve been working hard with industry partners and are really pleased to have the support of Government in helping us raise awareness and drive action.”

Rob Orr, COO at Virgin Media O2, said:

“With traditional analogue landlines becoming less and less reliable, the programme is essential step to safeguard services for the future. Inaction would mean putting services at risk.

Our message is clear: if you or someone you know use a telecare alarm, pick up the phone and talk to your provider. Let us know, and we’ll support you every step of the way.”

Since 2017, UK operators have been carrying out work to retire the decades old copper home phone network, which is reaching the end of its service life (in some ways it’s already gone past that), and move customers to digital landline services ahead of the analogue switch-off. “With over two thirds of landlines already migrated, the campaign is the final layer of protection to identify any additional users,” said today’s announcement.

Admittedly, the current effort should really have happened several years ago, but better late than never. Most of those who migrate today will already have a broadband line, which is needed for IP based digital phone services. But for those without broadband, BT will provide a special dedicated landline service, requiring no new equipment or engineer visit. This will ensure these customers can continue using their landline in the same way they do today, until 2030 (this is when the old exchanges start to be retired at scale).

The above reflects BT and Openreach’s launch of a new Pre-Digital Phone Line (PDPL) product (aka – SOTAP for Analogue). This essentially replicates how the old phone service worked, albeit over a more modern network (i.e. it does NOT require broadband or battery back-up to function). But this is only available to vulnerable and edge use case (inc. CNI) users on existing lines (not new customers) who would otherwise “face challenges” in migrating to IP based voice solutions by the deadline.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband ISP Brsk, which currently covers 2.4 million UK premises (RFS) via Netomnia’s national full fibre (FTTP) network, will today introduce a “permanent price change for the foreseeable future” on their BetterNet1000 (900Mbps average speed) package – reducing it from £37 to just £35 per month for both new and renewing (existing) customers.

The package itself typically attracts an 18-month minimum contract term and includes various other features, such as free installation (said to be worth £150), an included wireless router, unlimited usage, symmetric speeds and a pledge of “no mid-contract price rises“. A monthly (30-day) contract option is also available, albeit for a significantly higher price.

Brsk also offers new customers the option of up to £300 to help cover cancellation or early termination fees (ETC) charged to you by your current broadband ISP, which may occur if you attempt to switch before your existing contract term has ended. Otherwise, the decision to reduce their standard pricing on BetterNet1000 appears to bring Brsk’s retail pricing more into line with sister provider YouFibre on the same network.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Interview 

BT’s Head of Environmental Sustainability Gabrielle Ginér explains how the Joint Alliance for Corporate Social Responsibility (JAC) is helping telcos tackle sustainability issues collectively 

As the telecoms sector sets its sights on net zero, it faces a major challenge to reduce emissions from the global supply chain. For most operators, Scope 3 emissions (those generated outside of their direct operations) account for much of their carbon footprint, and it is a problem they cannot solve in isolation. 

This is where the Joint Alliance for Corporate Social Responsibility (JAC) comes in. 

“JAC is a not-for-profit association of telecom operators dedicated to developing Corporate Social Responsibility across the Information and Communication Technology supply chain,” explains Gabrielle Ginér, Head of Environmental Sustainability at BT and a board member of JAC. “JAC verifies, assesses and implements CSR while sharing resources and best practice to develop long-term supply chain sustainability.” 

With over 30 members and growing, including industry giants like AT&T, BT, Vodafone, and Singtel, the JAC represents a large portion of the telecoms market, and its influence is expanding in both scope and ambition. 

A shifting focus 

The JAC was founded in 2010 by Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Telecom Italia to promote basic CSR principles, but members’ priorities have quickly evolved. The alliance has expanded to also focused on three emerging areas: climate change, supply chain due diligence, and circularity. 

To support these goals, JAC has created dedicated working groups. One is focused on accelerating progress toward net zero by helping members reduce Scope 3 emissions. Another is addressing human rights risks across global supply chains through collaborative due diligence. A third, more recently established, group is working on circularity, exploring how telcos can reduce waste by reusing components from network equipment and consumer devices. 

“Most of JAC’s members either have circularity targets in place or plan to set them in the next three years,” Ginér explains. “The top three motivations for pursuing re-use and recycling are carbon reduction, waste reduction, and regulatory compliance.” 

Sustainability down the supply chain 

While collaboration between telcos is important, JAC’s impact depends on execution, and that means working directly with suppliers. The body’s Supplier Engagement Programme (SEP) uses data to assess more than 900 suppliers on their environmental maturity, offering tailored support to help them improve. 

In parallel, the Carbon Reduction Programme (CRP) focuses on around 50 high-impact suppliers. These are the companies whose products and services contribute most significantly to telecom operators’ Scope 3 emissions. Suppliers are asked to disclose product-level carbon footprints and to provide clear, time-bound reduction plans. 

A standout example of this work involves BT, Ericsson and the electronics manufacturer Flex.  

“Ericsson worked with one of its suppliers, Flex, that switched to 100% renewable electricity for its factory in Tczew, Poland,” Ginér explains. “Of the 1.1 million products Flex produced for Ericsson in Poland, 1,401 baseband units were shipped by Ericsson to BT Group. As Flex switched to renewable energy at its Tczew site, Flex and Ericsson estimated an 11k-tonne reduction in Flex’s Scope 2 carbon emissions dedicated to Ericsson for 2022, which translates to a 14-tonne reduction in embodied carbon emissions for the 1,401 baseband units shipped to BT Group.” 

“It may seem like a small improvement,” she adds, “but these types of actions are necessary in the journey towards net zero and set a precedent for how these types of collaborations can be scaled in value chains.” 

Sustainability at BT 

BT is also progressing with its own sustainability agenda, both operationally and within its supply chain. It aims to get to net zero by 2031 within its own operations, and in its wider supply chain by 2041. The company is rolling out more energy-efficient fixed and mobile networks, phasing out legacy infrastructure, and consolidating real estate to reduce emissions from buildings. Last year, it recovered 1,750 tonnes of network equipment and reused 1,548 items in its network. 

“We switch off the energy-intensive 3G network in 2024 which saved over 60 GWh,” Ginér notes. “When older networks are switched off, we recover the network equipment so it can be reused or recycled.” In October last year, it secured £105m from recycler EMR (European Metal Recycling) for its surplus copper networks. The income stream is significant, even after the costs of extracting and processing the cabling. 

The company is also transitioning its fleet to electric and zero-emission vehicles, with over 5,500 electric vehicles already in use. It placed its largest ever order of 3,500 EVs in January this year. “We’re working hard and investing to convert the majority of this fleet to electric or zero-emission vehicles by the end of FY31 – where that’s the best technical or economic solution.” 

Supplier expectations have also been formalised. ESG-related topics now carry a 20% weighting in BT’s supplier assessments, and environmental criteria are embedded into onboarding.  

“Today, suppliers representing more than 65% of our supply chain emissions are reporting to CDP,” says Ginér. CDP stands for the Carbon Disclosure Project, a platform where companies report environmental data such as carbon emissions, to promote transparency and accountability. 

The next steps 

As telecom operators face mounting pressure to decarbonise, improve transparency, and reduce waste, the need for collective action only intensifies. 

“The sector is doing quite well,” says Ginér, “but of course there is always more to be done, especially in tackling Scope 3 emissions.” 

With most JAC members now committed to science-based or net zero targets, and an increasing number taking action on circularity and due diligence, the foundations are in place. The next challenge is scale, ensuring that pilot programmes and successful supplier partnerships become standard practice across the global telecom ecosystem. 

Also in Feature Week:

UK data centre expansion sparks net zero concerns 

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Published by The Sunday Times in partnership with workplace engagement platform WorkL, the annual list acknowledges businesses in the UK that exhibit exemplary inclusion, wellbeing support, and satisfaction among staff members. With more than 500 companies evaluated, Altnets is unique not just for its industry but also for its scale, values, and culture.

Founded in 2020 with just three employees and no permanent workplace, Altnets today employs 17 individuals and runs from a state-of-the-art office overlooking Brighton Marina. In addition to being an established leader in telecommunications, the business is regarded by its staff as one of the most fulfilling and content workplaces.

Co-Founder and Director Sam Bangle commented, “This award reflects the outstanding team spirit we’ve built at Altnets.

“What makes us unique is the passion, creativity, and focus our employees bring to their jobs. Without them, Altnets wouldn’t be the business it is today.”

From servicing 33 clients in 2021 to over 100 by 2024, Altnets has expanded rapidly, but its ultimate objective remains unchanged: to connect communities digitally across the country, while cultivating a thriving, people-first culture within its team.

With its comprehensive healthcare plans and insurance benefits, annual team-building excursions for the team, monthly social gatherings, and flexible work schedule designed to encourage a healthy work-life balance, Altnets is creating a working experience where staff members feel appreciated, encouraged, and seen.

“We’re more than a company that serves customers – we’re powered by our people,” Bangle added. “Our success demonstrates that, alongside our efforts to build digital connections throughout the UK, we are equally committed to maintaining a thriving and encouraging community here in Brighton.”

Altnets is one of only two Brighton-based companies to be named in the ‘Small Organisation’ category of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025 – and the only telecoms business of its size to be featured nationwide. This distinction demonstrates Altnets’ commitment to its employees and solidifies its standing as a leader in a field that isn’t frequently recognised for having an impressive workplace culture. While men largely dominate the telecoms sector, Altnets actively strives to diversify its workforce by recruiting more women than the industry average. Altnets strives to be regarded as one of Brighton’s best places to work, establishing a benchmark for small businesses across the UK.

The Sunday Times commented: “Recognition is the watchword at this Brighton telecoms company. Its 17 staff enjoy structured rewards, team-building and social events, including pizza days and charity skydives. There is also a commitment to personal development, with professional certifications and leadership coaching, and a wellness programme to ensure they care for themselves. They enjoy private healthcare, mental-health support and David Lloyd gym membership. Volunteering days allow people to give back to a cause they care about.”

Open communication, respect, and enjoyment are the foundations of the Altnets culture, reflected in schedule flexibility, opportunities for professional development, and regular after-work socials. The outcome is an unrivalled staff community and a place of employment staff genuinely enjoy being part of.

This recognition from The Sunday Times is more than simply an award – it’s an endorsement of the uplifting, collaborative culture that each team member works to develop and sustain.

A Company to Watch in UK Telecoms

With demand for high-quality telecoms solutions continuing to grow, Altnets is proving that investing in people is not just the right thing to do — it’s a powerful business strategy. From driving digital infrastructure forward to setting a new cultural benchmark in the sector, Altnets is one to watch.

Whether you’re starting out or looking for your next step in the industry, Altnets is always keen to connect with passionate, driven individuals who want to be part of something special. To find your next career opportunity with an award-winning company, email: info@altnets.co.uk 

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Customers of UK ISP Sky Broadband, specifically those who have added the Wi-Fi Max service to their package (i.e. this includes their fastest WiFi Guarantee, advanced internet security, mobile data boost, requestable engineer visits and more), can now add a new “Device Priority” feature to this “at no extra cost” to help them take control of their WiFi experience.

Using the MySky App, the new Device Priority feature means that customers with the WiFi Max add-on will now also be able to prioritise a device (computer, smartphone, connected TV etc.) in their home for up to 8 hours, giving them an “enhanced connection“.

Sky doesn’t explain exactly what this does, although we assume it’s some form of internet traffic prioritisation / QoS (i.e. ensuring the chosen device always gets preference, even during periods of high local network load), which is a common feature among a lot of third-party routers. But admittedly this may be of more use to homes on slower broadband lines, since it’s less of a problem for FTTP connections with plenty of capacity to spare.

Sky WiFi Max typically costs an extra £4 per month to add to your existing Sky Broadband package.

Existing WiFi Max Features

Our fastest WiFi Guarantee: Up to 8x faster than Sky Broadband’s standard WiFi Guarantee, ensuring WiFi in every room or money back.

Advanced Security: Helps keep everyone safer online. WiFi Max blocks online threats on all devices. From doorbells and smart cameras to laptops and mobiles.

Parental Controls: Take charge of WiFi at home. Add, pause or block devices and set schedules for the kids. So, bedtime means bedtime.

Convenient Engineer Visits: Schedule visits at a time that suits, including evenings and weekends, at no extra cost.

Mobile Integration: Sky Mobile customers will receive 2GB into their Sky Mobile Piggybank during broadband outages of 30 minutes or longer.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Alternative network and UK ISP Country Connect, which since 2021 has been deploying their new gigabit capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across harder to reach parts of South Wales (here) and some communities in England, recently passed the key milestone of having covered 10,000 premises RFS (up from 3,709 two years ago).

The provider, which has previously described itself as being an unashamedly “micro-entity altnet”, originally started its network build in the village of Ponthir and town of Caerleon. Shortly after that they began expanding into Usk, Tidenham + Stroat (border villages in Gloucestershire), Penywaun, Llancayo (site of their HQ) and Aberdare.

As it stands today, Country Connect’s network is also being expanded into the Welsh Valleys of Penywaun, Hiruwaun, Trenant, plus the village of Bordon in Hampshire (England). The operator is clearly doing something right because they’ve even managed to deliver a good level of penetration at 34% (customer take-up).

Some of this work has also overbuilt Voneus’ rival network (largely because Voneus were unable to offer a viable wholesale option), although they usually try to avoid overbuilding fellow altnets. Overall, for a smaller altnet, they appear to be doing quite well for themselves.

Customers of the service tend to pay from £30 per month for a 300Mbps (symmetric) fixed price package with both free installation and a free Wi-Fi 6 router, which rises to £40 for their top 900Mbps service. The ISP also offers a “social tariff” for those on benefits, which gives you symmetric speeds of 50Mbps on a 6-month term for just £15 per month.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

ISPreview has spotted that the Government’s (DSIT) Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency have issued a contract modification notice for alternative network ISP GoFibre. This modestly expands their state aid funded Project Gigabit broadband roll-out of full fibre technology for hard-to-reach rural parts of Teesdale (Lot 4.01) in County Durham.

The original Local Supplier (Type A) deployment contract for Teesdale was first announced all the way back in late September 2022 (here). At the time this was valued at £6.6 million (public funding) and would have seen GoFibre building their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to reach slightly over 4,000 premises in Teesdale. The build phase itself was expected to take 4 years to complete.

However, Project Gigabit’s contracts are not static and their scope, as well as committed levels of public funding, can change over time for a number of different reasons – this is informed by regular Open Market Reviews (OMR) of UK deployment plans by network operators. For example, commercial operators may expand or reduce their roll-out plans in the same region, which can reduce or increase the scope for public investment within those same contracted areas.

The contracted operator could also find the deployment more expensive or even cheaper than previously envisaged, such as due to changes in build costs and interest rates / inflation, as well as any unexpected obstacles to street works or greater efficiencies of build than planned or expected. Rising build costs and high interest rates are currently a well-known bugbear for the whole industry.

Suffice to say, there can be various reasons why the contracted scope of related builds and the level of allocated public funding may change over time, although the latest modification notice for Lot 4.01 only mentions that the change was caused by “additional scope added to the contract in accordance with the UK subsidy control regime”. But the good news is that, given the small size of the original deal, this outcome reflects a modest expansion.

“Following the modification, the awarded contract value has increased by £453,986, bringing the total to £7,055,986 from the initially committed value. The awarded premises have increased by 376, resulting in a total of 4,455 premises from the 4,079 previously committed,” said the modification notice.

The change might not sound like much, but in a rural area that can reflect a sizeable geographic expansion to network cover. Sadly, we don’t yet know exactly which communities or additional villages may benefit from this expansion, but GoFibre may well release more details in the future.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) recently started emailing customers with handsets that are “not fully compatible with the UK’s 4G or 5G network” in order to notify them of their imminent 3G switch-off and offer an upgrade. But it’s worth noting that these notices will sometimes still get sent to people with technically compatible phones too, often leading to confusion.

Just to recap. O2 started the process of switching off their older 3G mobile (mobile broadband) network in March 2025 (here and here), which is due to reach completion by the end of 2025. After that it will separately also take them several years to completely retire their even older 2G service (here) as it remains necessary for various devices (e.g. Energy Smart Meters), as well as a fallback in areas of poor 4G and 5G signals.

The 3G switch-off will free up radio spectrum so that it can be used to further improve the network coverage and mobile broadband performance of more modern 4G and 5G networks, as well as future 6G services. The change will also reduce the operators’ costs and power consumption.

Customers will have already received notifications about this earlier in the year and O2 is now ramping that up as the switch-off progresses, in phases, across the UK. The main focus of this effort continues to be on customers who the operator has identified as having an incompatible device. The latter typically reflects handsets that lack support for 4G and 5G or which may be missing key 4G features, such as 4G Calling (VoLTE) and Wi-Fi Calling.

Copy of O2’s Latest 3G Switch Off Email

Hello [Customer Name],

We recently got in touch to let you know we’ll be turning off our 3G services. This change has already started, and we’ll be continuing the switch off across the country throughout 2025.

What does this mean for me?

You currently have a device that’s not fully compatible with the UK’s 4G or 5G network. After the switch off, you may experience a drop in call quality and be unable to access mobile data, including the internet and messaging apps like WhatsApp.

To keep using the UK’s mobile network, you’ll need to upgrade to a phone with 4G Calling before the end of 2025. All the devices available from O2 have the technology you’ll need.

Please note: upgrading your tariff won’t be enough to keep you connected once the switch off happens. You need to upgrade to a compatible phone.

What are my options?

To help make upgrading to a 4G compatible phone that bit easier, we’re offering you £100 off. To redeem your offer, simply use code [REDACTED] by:

– Speaking to one of our helpful agents in your local O2 store, or by calling 202 for free from your O2 mobile or ‎0‎3‎44 ‎8‎0‎9 ‎0‎2‎0‎2 from any other phone.

– Logging in to My O2 online or via the app to see all your upgrade options. All our phones are suitable and 4G or 5G enabled.

Or you can purchase a new phone from any other retailer that sells 4G Calling compatible phones. If you have any questions, please take a look at our FAQ page.

What happens next?

The 3G switch-off will be here before we know it, so it’s important to make sure you get ready for it in good time.

If you find it difficult to access any of our services due to a disability or personal situation, we can make adjustments to help you manage your account. You can find more information at our Access for all page.

Take care,

O2

However, some of those receiving the new notifications have been left confused, not least because they sometimes already own Smartphones or simplified Feature Phones that do in fact support both 4G and 4G Calling. The problem here is that there can be a lot of caveats in the implementation of 4G Calling, both by the device itself and the network operator, which can add complications (i.e. just because a device says it supports 4G and VoLTE may not always be enough for full “compatibility“).

Mobile operators can usually detect when a customer is using a VoLTE compatible device (they may look at the device’s IMEI or its hardware features), although as above, there can be complications and this isn’t an exact science. For example, sometimes the device may support 4G Calling, but the network operator might not have set up the correct profile for that device to ensure that it works correctly. Equally, the handset itself may have a problem that prevents it from using 4G Calling properly. The feature might have also been disabled, either by default or manually.

For example, quite a few people own the Nokia 110 4G feature phone, which does support 4G Calling. Despite this, O2 has been notifying owners of these devices with letters like the one above (some customers will have received several texts and emails by now). But this often occurs with users of O2’s PAYG (Pay As You Go) plans because O2 still states: “WiFi and 4G Calling isn’t available on Pay As You Go at the moment” (here and here). This is of course quite disjointed of O2 and is a known complaint.

Customers of O2 can check if their handset is compatible online, which incidentally also reports that the Nokia 110 4G “isn’t compatible with 4G calling“, despite the fact that it does seem to work on their Pay Monthly plans (based on feedback). We’ve used the Nokia 110 4G as an example above, but conflicts like this also impact other devices that do technically support 4G Calling / VoLTE.