Virgin Media O2 has today (July 23) announced that it will begin the transition away from its 2G network next year.
In the announcement, the carrier revealed that less than one percent of its customers use 2G-only devices, while the network accounts for less than 0.1 percent of its entire data traffic.
"With future-proof networks now in place and ongoing investments helping to further expand them, next year we’ll start work to move almost all remaining traffic away from the 2G network," said Jeanie York, CTO at Virgin Media O2.
All UK operators have agreed to phase out their respective legacy 2G networks in the next decade, while Virgin Media confirmed it will switch off its 3G network in 2025 earlier this year.
She noted that the carrier is on course to complete the switch-off of its 3G service.
Rival telcos Vodafone and EE retired 3G services earlier this year, while Three is set to retire its 3G network by the end of the year.
"Unlike our 3G network, we won’t be turning 2G off completely," added York. "In fact, we expect to continue operating it for several years and it will play an important role in carrying emergency calls in more remote areas without 4G coverage. We’ll also use it to support data traffic for smart energy meters, contributing to the UK’s transition to a lower-carbon economy."
York explains that the transition away from 2G will see the carrier redirect most ‘human’ traffic to newer, faster, and more energy-efficient networks while reserving the older slower network for some data-light ‘machine’ communications.
According to York, the changes won't be noticeable for Virgin Media O2 customers.
In the post, York said that Virgin Media O2 currently invests £2 million ($2.58m) a day in its mobile networks.
She added that the retirement of 3G and transition away from 2G will enable the company to reach net-zero by 2040.
