Telstra, in its recent Blog Post, announced its plan to shut down its 2G (GSM) network by the end of 2016. The GSM or Global System for Mobile technology has been instrumental in the development of mobile services, bringing mobile connectivity to everyone and offering various extended services such as roaming, SMS and early mobile Internet. However, with the increased consumption of data services, and the rise in the use of rich content, 2G service is losing its relevance mostly due to its limited speed in serving today's data needs. The move by Telstra could spark off a trend among other operators, who might see immediate benefits in freeing the 2G spectrum and reallocating it for other uses as well as bringing down network operating costs.
According to the Blog Post which was written by Mike Wright, the Group Managing Director of Networks in Telstra Operations, Telstra's 2G network has operated for more than 20 years and has in the past years seen steady migration of users to faster connections brought by 3G and 4G LTE, resulting in 2G accounting for only 1% of current mobile traffic.
The Post said that Telstra will facilitate the transition for consumers who are still using their 2G services, including wholesale customers by advising them on the options available to them, including free SIM upgrade or a purchase of a new device. Wrapping up the post, Mark Wright provided a simple way to identify whether a customer is using the 2G network - "You will know you’re on the 2G network if you have a 2G icon in the top right hand corner of your device. You might also see GPRS, E or EDGE written at the top of the screen", which reminds us of an era that redefined mobile communications and laid the foundation for advanced mobile services we have today.