2G GSM will still be around.

Thats why Im still hoping they are not stupid enough to sunset 2G even. I guess those in favour of 3G will have like 9 more months to enjoy till bid farewell.

Singapore already terminated their 2G in 2017 and expecting to sunset their 3G by 2025 - Long way to go.

BTW, for those which has 2G problems in certain areas, what I experience is that, can always report to the telco and they will fix it.
Reason being is because I have a classic SE k750i, reported to Yoodo, and they fixed the 2G coverage in 2 of my common location.

3G tower will be upgrade to 4G. In fact some site maxis celcom digi already using 3G spectrum for 4G. That is LTE Band 1 and band 8

While 4G technology supports VoLTE, not all operators have implemented this. Amongst those that have, not all of it is consistently deployed through the entire mobile network. The reason?

VoLTE is not only dependent on network parameters but also handset requirements. Additionally, ongoing calls originating on VoLTE will also need to be handed over to 3G when mobile users move out of 4G coverage.

the GSMA noted that VoLTE may require substantial investment in the core network and many functionalities in the core have to undergo extensive optimisation and trials before service launch.

"Given the declining voice revenues and the associated challenges and investments, many operators do not see the benefit of an early VoLTE deployment."

https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/insights/3g...etwork-services

Ah, if the VoLTE from the telco and your phone model can work flawlessly, then there's shouldn't be an issue.

no it cant

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Looks like Sarawak is connecting her rural folks with Maxis's ConnectMe Satellite Internet. .......

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021...-chief-minister - 2021/04/06 - Broadband-for-150-rural-sites-in-Sarawak-by-year-end-says-Chief-Minister
"KUCHING: Up to 150 rural sites across Sarawak will have high-speed broadband connectivity by the end of this year, says Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg (pic).

The Chief Minister said this would be achieved through the Sarawak Rural Broadband Network, which is being implemented by the state-owned Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC).

He said the state government had allocated RM200mil to SDEC for the initiative, which deploys fixed wireless access technology to provide broadband services in targeted locations including schools, longhouses, community centres and religious institutions. ...

In his speech earlier, Abang Johari said the network would provide broadband with a speed of 30 megabits per second (mbps), enabling villagers and students to connect to the world. ..."
.

Connectme is from Measat, not Maxis.

And, there is a thread about Connectme here: https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4763011

.
I believe Measat, Maxis, Astro, etc have the same owner, ie Ananda Krishnan. If I stated Measat's ConnectMe Satellite Internet, readers may not get the connection to the owner Ananda Krishnan. Most readers know Maxis is owned by him. .......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usaha_Tegas
"Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian investment holding company led by billionaire Ananda Krishnan. Its principal investments include telecommunications, media, property, and oil & gas companies. Through itself or its subsidiaries, it holds significant interests in the public-listed entities Maxis Berhad, Astro Holdings Sdn Bhd, and Bumi Armada Berhad. ...

List of investments

Usaha Tegas's investments includes significant shareholdings in various industries.

Maxis Communications Berhad
Maxis Berhad (listed on Bursa Malaysia) (65%)[2]
Aircel Ltd (74%)[2]
Astro Holdings Sdn Bhd
Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad [3]
Astro Overseas Ltd
Tanjong PLC[4]
TGV Cinemas
Tropical Islands Resort
Bumi Armada Berhad
Pexco NV[2]
IHH Healthcare Berhad[2]
MEASAT Satellite Systems
Sri Lanka Telecom PLC (44.98%)
Johnston Press PLC "
.

This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Apr 6 2021, 09:52 PM

The problem with getting rid of 2G/3G means calls and SMS can't be received unless you have VoLTE capable smartphones but to my lack of knowledge, it looks like telcos are limiting what VoLTE smartphones are allowed on their network which is a bummer.

I have an Asus Zenfone 5z and someone have inquired from Asus why VoLTE is not available on Asus Zenfones but their reply was for us to check with telcos instead. So it seems that even if the smartphone manufacturer enables VoLTE but cannot detect the service due to telcos block, then that is a bit messed up.

Please enlighten me. Thanks.

Once 3G network shuts down, and if you're using a non-VoLTE enabled smartphone, then all your calls and SMS will be routed through 2G network.
Therefore theoretically, you shall be able to send and receive calls and SMS as usual, even when 3G network shuts down.

The VoLTE from the telco requires some firmware software support for the particular device model, so actually implementing VoLTE is not as straightforward as you think.

EDIT: You can still receive SMS through 4G network even if you're using a non-VoLTE device.

This post has been edited by joshhd: Jun 12 2021, 08:36 PM

Will 2G still be around ? Isn't it suppose to be 2G and 3G to go at the same time meaning the minimum will be 4G LTE and above only ?
This is what is causing the confusion. I know that it is not so simple hence wanting to know more because me getting the same answer from both smartphone manufacturer and telco is ask the other party if they have VoLTE . taichi back and forth.

Firstly, VOLTE is only for voice calls. Receiving SMS, you will still receive SMS even on 4G (truly 4G, no switching over to 3G/2G) .
More details here: https://blog.3g4g.co.uk/2012/02/high-level-...rks-in-lte.html.

Therefore if your telco is not supporting VOLTE for your phone model, as "joshhd" mentioned, it will switch to 2G upon making and receiving calls.

IMO, VOLTE is like watching Youtube video quality on 720P HD when it still runs fine on 480P (3g) . Its an option, not compoulsary. (And yes, I know some will argue that VOLTE is a must, its the future, etc).

many country shutdown 2G cause
1. reuse it for 5G
2. NB-IoT

but actually 2G very useful for M2M communication.

shutdown 3G kind of good idea.

.
From your link, .......
"However, the SMS delivery mechanism is somewhat different. "

So, 2G/3G SMS is also different from 4G LTE SMS, ie different protocol. I believe 4G SMS is called IMS. .......

https://www.gl.com/newsletter/short-message...newsletter.html - Short Message Service (SMS) Test Solutions over LTE/IMS, UMTS and GSM Networks - 15 June 2018
.

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2G will be all the celcos' fallback for voice calls/SMS once 3G is sunset at end 2021 in Malaysia, eg U Mobile has a multi-year RAN-Share agreement with Celcom for 2G.

3G frequencies are being refarmed for 4G.
.

If ims is implemented here for sms, wonder why they don't do the same for ussd (cuz that can also be sent over ims)? Legacy platform? Could we see ussd being sunseted if the current situation continues?

This post has been edited by surrodox2001: Jun 12 2021, 01:09 PM

If worst come to worst, USSD menus could be replaced into SMS text messages command... Or only on WhatsApp chat bot?

.
Likely because a 4G LTE cell tower has a maximum range of only 5km/3miles while a 3G/2G cell tower has a max range of 32km/20 miles, wrt a handphone receiving voice calls/SMS. The larger coverage by 3G/2G cell towers is crucial in rural areas, eg emergency 999 calls.

Why 4G LTE cell towers have such a short range.? = likely because it is a pure Internet protocol like VoIP = needs much more power to transmit over long range of 32km/20 miles = can be harmful to the health of nearby residents. .......

https://www.zdnet.com/article/nbn-approache...f-7-kilometres/ - NBN-approaches-1Gbps-using-mmWave-5G-over-distances-of-7-kilometres - 12 Jan 2021
= using more powerful 5G uni-directional mmWave(24GHz - 86GHz) transceivers for Fixed Wireless Internet. Afaik, max range of a normal 5G mmWave multi-directional (= low-power) smallcell base-station is about 400m only - normally only deployed in downtown city areas, shopping malls, stadiums, concert halls or places with high foot-traffic.
.

This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Sep 24 2021, 08:58 PM

Phone got VoLTE,
when call still 4G, when SMS still 4G, when run USSD code drop to 3G

Phone does not have VoLTE,
when call drop to 3G, when SMS still 4G, when run USSD code drop to 3G

Cuz i have 2 samsung device 1 got VoLTE 1 does not have VoLTE can test

Err... This statement not so accurate.

The frequency bands for 2G, 3G and 4G ranges as low as 700MHz all the way up to 2600MHz,

lower frequency = wider coverage, commonly used in areas with less users, like rural areas
higher frequency = smaller coverage, commonly used in dense areas

So it is not accurate to overgeneralise coverage range solely based on the mobile generation alone, like 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G. There are many factors needs to be considered too, especially the band frequency, technical modulation, location, surroundings, obstructions, and so on.

Let's say if the 3G 2100MHz tower is being refarmed/repurposed to 4G 2100MHz, you'd still get similar or better coverage performance like what you had on 3G network also.

As for 5G, it has sub-1GHz bands, sub-6GHz bands and mmWave,
For 5G, if the frequency band uses mmWave (24GHz onwards), definitely the range won't go far. It could be around 200-400 metres per cell site.
To achieve wider coverage on mmWave, you'll need to deploy more cell sites to cover the large area.