Qatar's regulator has set a deadline for the country's mobile carriers to switch off their 3G networks by December 31, 2025.
In an announcement this week, the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) noted that it had decided on the date based on consultation with stakeholders around the switch off of the services.
The country becomes the latest to concentrate on the retirement of 3G to instead focus on expanding 4G and 5G services.
Under the plans put forward by the CRA, Ooredoo Qatar and Vodafone Qatar will need to cease their 3G services by the deadline.
"This is aimed at optimum utilization of current radio spectrum resources to support and enhance the performance of Fourth Generation (4G/LTE4) and Fifth Generation (5G) networks," stated the CRA.
According to the regulator, this will enable the country's telecom sector to grow, while also supporting Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to ensure Qatar can achieve sustainable development by the end of the decade.
A number of countries have shut down 3G services already, notably in the US and Japan, while in the UK EE and Vodafone completed their respective shutdowns this year.
In Singapore, the country's mobile carriers are preparing to switch off 3G services from next month.
In Vietnam, the country's Ministry of Information and Communications confirmed last month that 3G services in the country will be switched off by September 2028.
