UK's biggest mobile provider is shutting service TODAY leaving thousands of Brits with no internet in huge shake-up
Britain's major mobile providers have been gradually switching off a key service over the past few years, following an agreement with the Government made in 2021.
1
EE, Vodafone and Three have all shut off their 3G services, with Virgin Media O2 the last to follow suit.
The telecoms giant said that the switch off is so that it can focus on "faster, more reliable and more energy-efficient" 4G and 5G networks."
The 3G switch off began in Durham on April 2, and is continuing today, July 16, in Norwich, Telford and Guildford.
Torquay's 3G network will then be switched off on August 4.
The mobile provider has confirmed that the rest of the UK will have its 3G networks turned off by the end of the year.
The switch off will also affect Giffgaff, Sky Mobile and Tesco Mobile users as they all use Virgin Media O2's network.
"We're switching off our 3G network to focus our attention and investment on upgrading faster and more reliable 4G and 5G networks that will give our customers a better overall experience", Virgin Media O2's Chief Technology Officer, Jeanie York, said.
'Following the successful pilot in Durham earlier this year, we will be switching off 3G in Norwich, Telford and Guildford in July, and Torquay in early August, with the rest of the UK to follow by the end of the year."
Virgin Media O2 customers living in the affected areas have been urged to upgrade to a device which supports 4G or 5G before the switch off takes place.
Anyone who's device is only capable of supporting 3G will be left without mobile data, but will still be able to text, take phone calls, and access WiFi.
WhatsApp is closing down on three mobile devices in hours with users blocked from sending and receiving messages
Martin Lewis ' Money Saving Expert (MSE) explained: "If you have a phone or Sim that only supports 3G, you'll effectively no longer be able to use the internet once it's fully switched off by your provider – you'll still technically be able to connect to the internet, but you'll struggle to do even basic tasks.
"You'll still be able to make calls and send text messages over 2G, though the quality of the call will likely be a lot worse than it was on the 3G network."
Virgin Media O2 has said that the "vast majority" of its customers already have a device which supports 4G or 5G, so will be completely unaffected by the switch off.
It added that any customers still using a 3G device who are known to be vulnerable have been offered a 4G device free of charge.
Which mobile networks are affected by the 3G switch off?
Mobile networks affected by O2's 3G switch off:
-O2
- Tesco Mobile
- Sky Mobile
- GiffGaff
Networks which have already switched off 3G:
- Vodafone
- Asda Mobile
- Lebara
- Talk Mobile
- Voxi
- EE
- 1pMobile
- Ecotalk
- IQ Mobile
- Lycamobile
- Mozillion
- RWG Mobile
- Spusi
- Talk Home
- Utility Warehouse
- Your Co-op
- Three
- iD Mobile, Smarty
- Honest Mobile
- Superdrug
All other customers who do not currently have a device compatible with 4G or 5G have been offered a new device at a reduced cost.
Jeanie York added: "While we know that the vast majority of our customers already have a 4G or 5G device and will not have to take any action, our priority is to provide support to those who need it.
"That is why we are reaching out directly to customers who do not have a 4G or 5G handset, and calling those we know are vulnerable, to provide information about their next steps.
"It is important these customers upgrade their handsets in order to continue using mobile data after 3G is switched off.'
Customers wishing to dispose of their old 3G devices should recycle them through O2 recycle, which could see them get cash for the old handsets.
How to check if your device is affected
Smartphone users who have purchased their device in the last 10 years are unlikely to be affected by the switch off.
However, if you are still unsure, you can do a simple trick to check.
Click on the settings page on your phone and search for Network Mode or Preferred Network.
If you spot 4G or 5G listed, then you will be unaffected by the switch off.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
8 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump warns against second independence vote for 75 years
Donald Trump has signalled that there should not be another Scottish independence referendum until at least 2064 because countries 'can't go through that too much'. The US President said he thought there had been an agreement not to hold a rerun of the 2014 separation vote for at least another 50 years. His comments came during the third full day of his visit to Scotland as he met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf course, and just hours after John Swinney claimed that an SNP majority in next year's Holyrood election would be a mandate for another independence referendum. During a lengthy press conference with the Prime Minister, Mr Trump also said he wants Scotland to thrive as he vowed to consider removing punishing tariffs on Scotch whisky and made the case for more North Sea drilling. He also directly pressed Sir Keir Starmer to take advantage of the North Sea's oil reserves. When asked about the SNP's plan to demand another independence referendum if it wins a majority at next year's Holyrood elections, Mr Trump said he had predicted the No vote the day before the 2014 referendum when he was visiting his first golf course at the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire. He added: 'I do say that when they made that deal (to hold a referendum) somebody said that it was - and I remember this very distinctly, I said 'could they do this all the time?'. 'There was a little bit of a restriction, like 50 or 75 years before you could take another vote because, you know, a country can't go through that too much.' SNP figures including Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon had said at the time the vote was a 'once in a generation opportunity'. Mr Trump made the comments ahead of Mr Swinney attending a dinner with him in Aberdeenshire last night and the opening of his second course at Menie today (TUE). Sir Keir said: 'I believe in a stronger Scotland in a better United Kingdom and I think that at a time like this when it is quite clear there is uncertainty and volatility around the world, the strength of the United Kingdom together is very important for all four nations, very important for Scotland. 'That should be our priority, that should be our focus - not on the politics which feels like the politics of yesteryear now at a time like this. 'I think that the First Minister should probably focus more on his delivery in Scotland than on his constitutional issues, and we might have a better health service in Scotland. 'At a time like this, I think the United Kingdom is always stronger as four nations, I think that is better for all four nations.' It comes as Mr Swinney was condemned for an 'absurd' assertion that a generation has passed since Scots rejected independence. In a desperate attempt to relaunch the SNP's failing bid to break up the UK, he has claimed a majority for the party in next year's Holyrood elections would be a mandate for another referendum. He was accused of trying to silence SNP critics and was mocked for the claim that a generation has passed less than 11 years since Scots voted decisively to stay in the UK. Then First Minister Alex Salmond and his successor Nicola Sturgeon previously described the 2014 referendum as a 'once in a generation opportunity'. After unveiling the latest bid to secure independence, Mr Swinney yesterday said: 'There is fundamentally a democratic issue here that people in Scotland in a voluntary union must be able to choose their own democratic future, and that was accepted after the SNP won a majority in the Scottish Parliament, on our own, in 2011. 'I am making the point that, having established that precedent, we must be in a position to be able to give the people of Scotland the choice about their constitutional future. 'There is now, by the time we get to 2030, going to be a million people who were not eligible to vote in the last referendum in 2014. 'A generation has now passed and I want to make sure that people in Scotland who want our country to have a choice about independence are able to do so in a democratic and legitimate fashion that can enable the establishment of an independent country as a consequence of a Yes vote. 'And the way to do that is the way we did it in 2011, which is to elect a majority of SNP MSPs to the Scottish Parliament.' In the 2014 vote, 55 per cent of Scots voted No and 45 per cent Yes. Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: 'It's patently absurd - and John Swinney knows it - to claim that 11 years constitutes 'a generation'. 'John Swinney is like a broken record. In a bid to silence internal critics of his weak leadership, he has thrown diehard nationalists some more red meat on the one issue they all agree on: independence. 'Ordinary Scots are sick and tired of the SNP's obsession with breaking up the UK. The public want John Swinney to focus on fixing the damage his government has done in decimating essential services such as schools and the NHS at the same time as making Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK.' Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: 'This SNP government has lost its way and ran out of ideas - while one in six Scots suffer on an NHS waiting list.
Reuters
38 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump and Starmer trade compliments but defend differences
EDINBURGH/TURNBERRY, Scotland, July 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump spoke warmly about the "special relationship" with Britain on Monday, lavishing praise on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, King Charles, and his own mother's Scottish homeland from the ballroom of his Turnberry golf club. But mixed in with the compliments were warnings for Starmer on energy policy, immigration, and tax, as well as a pointed attack on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Starmer's political ally. Seated side-by-side, Starmer and Trump fielded more than an hour of questions from media in a whirlwind tour of global affairs that included setting a new deadline for Russia to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine and announcing food centres to ease starvation in Gaza. When it came to the Anglo-American relationship, Trump's often outspoken - and sometimes confrontational approach - to such media appearances was replaced with a charm offensive. "The prime minister, he's been so supportive of us and so strong and so respected, and I respect him much more today than I did before, because I just met his wife and family. He's got a perfect wife, and that's never easy to achieve," Trump said. Starmer, who spoke for only a small fraction of the 72 minutes the two spent in the gaze of the world's media, reciprocated the compliments freely in what was the latest chapter of a burgeoning friendship between the two leaders, who hail from opposing sides of the political spectrum. "It's fantastic to be here - thank you for your hospitality - and to see this amazing golf course. I'll invite you to a football ground at some stage, and we can exchange sports," Starmer joked. However, the British leader jumped in when Trump - who argued publicly with London mayor Khan during his first term as president - said Khan was doing a bad job running the British capital and called him a "nasty person". "He's a friend of mine, I should add," Starmer interjected, before Trump continued: "I think he's done a terrible job." Starmer listened to Trump talk about cutting immigration - an area in which the British leader is seen by the public as failing. Trump said that policy was key to his 2024 U.S. election win, alongside his promises to reduce taxes and boost the economy. Starmer's government, only a year after winning a landslide victory, is facing a fiscal crunch caused by a stagnant economy, and many analysts expect tax increases later this year to plug the gap. On energy, the two talked up the potential of small nuclear reactors, but set out opposing positions on other sources of power. Trump gently urged Starmer to make more of Britain's oil and gas resources and renewed criticism of the offshore wind turbines that dot the coast near his golf course, and which form a key part of Starmer's plans for a carbon-free energy system. "Wind is a disaster," Trump said. "It's a very expensive energy, it's a very ugly energy and we won't allow it in the United States." Starmer replied: "We believe in a mix." Smoothing over their differences on policy, the two looked ahead to Trump's next visit in September when he will be hosted by King Charles for a state visit. "I hate to say it, but nobody does it like you people in terms of the pomp and ceremony," Trump said. "I'm a big fan of King Charles. I've known him for quite a while. Great guy, great person." After accepting an invitation presented to him during Starmer's visit to the White House in February, Trump will become the first world leader in modern times to undertake two state visits to Britain. "This is going to be a historic occasion, and we're all very much looking forward to it," Starmer said. In May, Washington and London announced the first bilateral trade deal made in the wake of steep new tariffs on global imports imposed by Trump. Trump's visit concludes on Tuesday, when he will open a new golf course near Aberdeen named after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to the United States.
The Sun
40 minutes ago
- The Sun
Premier League side SELL their own women's team to bolster kitty for massive splurge and want Jack Grealish transfer
EVERTON have reportedly SOLD their women's team to their sister company - in a move that could help raise funds for transfers. Companies House shows that Everton Football Club Women Ltd has been transferred to a company called Roundhouse Capital Holdings. 2 According to The Times, records show its controlled by Everton's American businessman owner Dan Friedkin. Roundhouse is the company that The Friedkin Group used to buy Everton during their takeover last December. The move is said to ensure the women's team is a standalone entity that can attract investment from America. But, that profit will help comply with the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules. Everton become the third Premier League club to take advantage of a law that allows clubs to sell assets such like the women's team to related companies and register that as a profit for PSR calculations. The Premier League requires that fees paid for internal assets are reasonable - with Chelsea and Aston Villa also doing so. Everton were previously deducted six points for a PSR breach in the 2021-22 season and two points in 2022-23. But the Toffees did spend over £800MILLION on a new stadium which they move into this season. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Everton took out two new loans in February with US firms Aramark Limited and Glas Trust Corporation. The original estimate for the stadium — which took four years to build — was £500m. Neom Hijack Zeze Deal from Premier League Rivals The old Goodison Park has been scaled down and will now be used by the women's team. Everton are looking to add to their squad this summer and are linked with a move for Manchester City's £100m wantaway Jack Grealish. According to Ben Jacobs, the Merseysiders want a loan and are unlikely to consider to a permanent move unless Grealish lowers his £300,000-a-week wages. 2
