France's Elevator Federation (Fédération des Ascenseurs) has asked for the shutdown of the country's 2G and 3G networks to be delayed.
The networks, which are planned to be phased out by 2029, are still being used by elevator manufacturers, according to the trade organization.
Why telcos are switching off legacy networks, and what it means for 5G
The Elevator Federation warns that at present the industry is not ready to deal with this change.
French telcos Bouygues Telecom and Altice plan to retire their respective 2G network by 2026, while Orange wants to switch its 2G network off next year. The trio all aim to retire their 3G service by 2029.
However, such plans could be a challenge for the elevator industry in particular, with French publication Clubic reporting that nearly half of the country's elevators are equipped with either 2G or 3G technology.
The publication notes that it was told by the Fédération des Ascenseurs that approximately 232,000 2G systems and 58,000 3G systems would need to be replaced.
Elevators are equipped with networks that allow people to contact emergency services via a button.
Telcos across the world are shutting down their 2G and 3G legacy networks.
In the case of 2G, which is an older technology than 3G, the technology is still widely used beyond the traditional telecoms market. For example, smart meters and a range of other IoT devices use the network.
“For 2G, the biggest victims will be the smart metering industry. There have been a lot of smart meters around the world, in the last 20 to 25 years, and they'll have 2G SIMs in them, and 2G modules," Paul Bullock, Wireless Logic group chief product officer, told DCD back in 2022.
"Comms units will also need to be replaced and this could be an expensive pain. So, the pace at which 2G actually gets retired will be a function of the political weight of the electricity companies in their respective countries.”