AT&T to power down 2G network by 2017
If you own a smartphone manufactured in the past two years, the following news likely won’t apply to you, but it’s still worth noting that AT&T has set a deadline for the end to their 2G network. They hope to cease operations by 2017. As the carrier continues to build out its 4G network and begins (along with other major carriers around the world) to investigate the potential of voice and data over LTE alone, the first moves are being made to shutter the aging 2G wireless technologies AT&T relied on for so long. This move away from older GSM voice and EDGE data coverage will come with “proactive” efforts to move the 12 percent of subscribers still holding on to a 2G device.
[via Engadget]