Vietnam will switch off its 2G networks nationwide on September 15, under a plan the country’s telecom regulator approved back in 2024. The second-generation standard had run there since 1993, Vietnamese newspaper Báo Pháp Luật Việt Nam reported.
Operators stopped serving subscribers with 2G-only handsets in October 2024. The network was then kept partly alive for almost two years. It supported early 3G and 4G devices without VoLTE, along with a few specific areas. Those included the Spratly and Paracel islands and offshore platforms. Recently operators began shutting 2G down in their coverage areas rather than waiting for the nationwide deadline.
Owning a 4G phone does not guarantee it will still make calls after September 15. Some of these devices do not support voice calls over the 4G network (VoLTE). They used 4G for data but switched to 2G for voice. Without 2G, such a phone keeps its internet access but cannot place an ordinary call.
Operators advise subscribers to check their handsets and turn VoLTE on if the phone supports it. Some companies promise to scan devices and enable the feature without the subscriber’s involvement. Even then, users are told to check the device themselves or contact a store or a support centre.
Підписуйтесь на Mediasat у Telegram: тут найцікавіші новини ТБ та телекому
The shutdown is meant to do more than move subscribers to newer handsets. It also frees up spectrum. The 900 and 1800 MHz bands that carried the second-generation standard will be reassigned to 4G, 5G and eventually 6G. Reusing them should improve spectrum efficiency, widen coverage and raise the quality of mobile service.
2G was launched commercially worldwide in 1991 and reached Vietnam two years later, with the debut of operator MobiFone. After more than 30 years, the second-generation networks are considered to have finished their role in spreading mobile communications. Vietnam plans to start decommissioning its 3G networks from September 2028.
Vietnam is not the first in the region to retire the standard. In June, China Mobile Hong Kong switched off the last 2G network in Hong Kong.
