Luxembourg mobile operators Tango and Telindus have both announced a 3G shutdown date of January 2024.

The spectrum will be re-farmed towards each operator's respective 5G services.

Feature: What the 2G and 3G shutoff means for 5G

Tango notes that demand for its 5G service since it launched in 2020 has 'exploded', while its 3G service has quietened down and represents less than one percent of the operator's total data traffic.

The operator adds that it plans to enhance its 5G deployment throughout the year, while its customers with 3G handsets will still be able to make calls over the 2G network.

Neither operator specified a date for its 2G network switch-off.

Across the world, operators have been announcing plans to retire 2G and 3G networks, with Vodafone beginning its phased 3G switch-off in the UK last month.

French operator Altice France (SFR) recently outlined plans to decommission its 2G network in 2026, with 3G by 2028, while Orange will turn off its 2G network in 2025 before retiring its 3G network in 2028.

Last month, another French telco Bouygues Telecom said it will decommission its 2G network by the end of 2026, while its 3G service will be switched off in 2029.