3G Shutdown - is your "smart" device impacted?

Roccus7

Roccus7

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Staff member
Starting to hear much about this, but danged if I know if I should care, especially since real 5G networks in Maine are few and far between.

Rural Maine - where a cell phone signal is a privilege, not a right...

3G network shutting down in Maine, affecting older phones, devices​

pressherald.com/2021/11/18/3g-network-shutting-down-in-maine-affecting-older-phones-devices/

Associated Press November 18, 2021

BANGOR — Starting in 2022, the 3G mobile network will be shutting down in Maine, affecting older cellphones and some other devices that connect to the internet, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

Each telecommunications company will take down their 3G networks at different times next year, the Bangor Daily News reported Thursday.

“Mobile carriers have the flexibility to choose the types of technologies and services they deploy, including when they decommission older services in favor of newer services to meet consumer demands,” the FCC said in an online consumer guide.

3G was introduced in 2001 and is being replaced by faster networks like 5G that can support more users, the newspaper reported.

Some older cellphones will not be able to make or receive calls or texts after the switch and other devices such as medical alert devices, smart watches, vehicle SOS services, home security systems and tablets could stop working. Some devices may continue to function if their software can be updated, the FCC said.

People should contact their mobile phone carrier or the device manufacturer for details on what devices will be impacted and if they are offering any deals or incentives for trading in older devices. The FCC also said it offers programs to help certain low-income people pay for telephone and broadband services.
 
I rec'd an AT&T email that I would have to upgrade my LG Stylo 4, which is 4G LTE.
Turns out it will work - they just want to sell phones.





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So I'm putting off transferring to the new Motorola I bought - Cany gave me some good tips on transferring AT&T phones. Would have been nice to know this and the model they're sending.....

1639616974539.webp
 
My wife has a few e-readers that will be going off line but she has multiple updated versions however felt it unfair that the older devices would no longer work, she passes them down to others and all the books are shared. New purchases will no longer be shared with the older devices.
 
JackPrintMD said:
My wife has a few e-readers that will be going off line but she has multiple updated versions however felt it unfair that the older devices would no longer work, she passes them down to others and all the books are shared. New purchases will no longer be shared with the older devices.
Click to expand...
Jack - that may be IF the reader contacts the library through the Cell Signal.

I'm guessing that if they use WiFi to connect to the library, there will be no problem.
 
Oh, this is reassuring...

U.S. airlines warn 5G wireless could wreak havoc with flights​


reuters.com​


WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Major U.S. air carriers warned on Wednesday that plans by wireless carriers to use spectrum for 5G wireless services starting Jan. 5 could disrupt thousands of daily flights and cost air passengers $1.6 billion annually in delays.

AT&T (T.N) and Verizon Communications (VZ.N) must delay the plans to use C-Band spectrum for 5G wireless services, United Airlines (UAL.O) Chief Executive Scott Kirby said following a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing, saying it could delay, divert or cancel about 4% of daily flights and impact hundreds of thousands of passengers.

"It would be a catastrophic failure of government," Kirby told reporters.

The aviation industry and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have raised concerns about potential interference of 5G with sensitive aircraft electronics like radio altimeters

Last week, the FAA issued new airworthiness directives warning that interference from 5G wireless spectrum could result in flight diversions, but did not quantify the impact. read more

"Coming Jan. 5 -- unless something changes -- we will not be able to use radio altimeters at 40-something of the largest airports in the country," Kirby said. "It is a certainty. This is not a debate."

Kirby said it would mean that at major U.S. airports in the event of bad weather, cloud cover or even heavy smog "you could only do visual approaches essentially."

Trade group Airlines for America (A4A) said Wednesday that if the FAA 5G directive had been in effect in 2019, "approximately 345,000 passenger flights, 32 million passengers, and 5,400 cargo flights would have been impacted in the form of delayed flights, diversions, or cancellations."

Southwest Airlines' (LUV.N) chief executive, Gary Kelly, told the Senate hearing that if the FAA directive takes effect it "would be a significant setback" to its operations.

The wireless industry defended the technology.

"The aviation industry’s fearmongering relies on completely discredited information and deliberate distortions of fact," CTIA, a wireless trade group, said.

It said that 5G operates safely and without causing harmful interference to aviation operations in nearly 40 countries around the world.

The Biden administration is eager to see the issue resolved. White House National Economic Council director Brian Deese met with Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on the issue Wednesday, sources told Reuters. The White House and the Transportation Department did not comment.

Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn at the hearing urged airlines to work with the wireless carriers to reach agreement.

Rosenworcel, who did not comment Wednesday, has said she believes the issues can be resolved and spectrum safely used.

In addition to agreeing to delay the commercial launch of C-band wireless service until Jan. 5, AT&T and Verizon in November adopted precautionary measures for six months to limit interference.

Aviation industry groups said they were insufficient to address air safety concerns and have made a counterproposal.

United's Kirby said the FCC and FAA "need to get in a room and talk to each other and solve the problem," adding that the issue "cannot be solved on the back of airlines."

A4A said the FAA directive would "materially disrupt airline operations" and said cargo operators estimate it "would have cost them $400 million annually."

The group said "the annual impact cost to passengers to be approximately $1.59 billion" of travel delays.

Wireless carriers have shown no interest in further delays to using the spectrum, which the industry paid more than $80 billion to acquire.

The FAA directives order revising airplane and helicopter flight manuals to prohibit some operations requiring radio altimeter data when in the presence of 5G C-Band wireless broadband signals.

The FAA plans to issue further notices to airlines before Jan. 5 offering more detail on the potential interference and is in discussion about which altimeters could be used under the current mitigation plans.
 
It's all good. The FCC raked in millions auctioning off that bandwidth despite the warnings from the aviation community. So they must have carefully considered it before cashing in. Right?
 
effects me - still using the flip phone I got free with the service 10 years+ ago...

Still trying to determine what this means w/VW

We’re reaching out today to inform you of an upcoming change to VW Car-Net services. AT&T, the wireless telecommunication network associated with VW Car-Net services has informed us of its decision to discontinue 3G wireless service in the U.S. starting February 22nd, 2022 as part of its network technology upgrade cycle.​
This means that your 2017 VolkswagenJETTA GLI MANUAL will no longer be able to transmit or receive data. If you have an active VW Car-Net Security & Service subscription, it will not extend past January 31, 2022.​

I know it means my cell will stop working. No big deal. I knew I would eventually need to update it but I don't know what effects it'll have (if any) on the vehicle. As far as I know I don't have any VW Car-Net subcription.

Assumming I just upgrade the phone & all is well.

I'm not transmitting or receiving data other then my Sirrus subscription & in dash GPS with Traffic Warnings & Rerouting around them. Don't believe any of this is affected as it doesn't come through my phone.. Just haven't gotten around to calling VW yet.
 
OK - so I've finally got an answer from the VW folks - won't effect my current systems (other then the ability of my phone to receive & make calls which I alredy figured was the case of course)

Went out & bought another fliptop with 4G for $60 - I'm good to go.
:)
 
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