Rwanda's government has set out a timeline for the country's 3G mobile network shutdown, with plans to retire the service in June of next year.
The shutdown is part of Rwanda's plans to focus on expanding the rollout of 4G and 5G services in the country.
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As part of the plans, MINICT and the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) are coordinating the transition with mobile operators, government institutions, the private sector, and the public.
In the announcement, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and Innovation (MINICT) also stated that the 2G switch-off will come at a later stage, with the government working towards December 2028.
"The final date will depend on the outcome of the 3G transition and an assessment of network coverage, service continuity, the number of people still using older phones, the migration of systems that depend on 2G, and the country’s overall readiness," said MINICT.
MINICT noted that the cost of running four generations of mobile technology has become too costly and inefficient to sustain.
The government will reallocate 2G and 3G spectrum for the country's 4G and 5G networks.
One of the issues the country faces is trying to migrate users over to these newer networks, while IoT services may also rely on the legacy networks.
According to MINICT, the transition will be carried out gradually. The aim is for 4G coverage to expand this year to support the migration from 3G to 4G and VoLTE services.
Operators will also conduct trial shutdowns in selected areas. The trial will be used to identify any problems which can be addressed before the nationwide switch-off.
In the first half of next year, telcos will complete the migration of critical systems, notify customers, strengthen their support services and establish a joint team to respond to issues during the transition. Reporting and monitoring will become more frequent as the switch-off date approaches.
"A limited number of critical services may be granted additional time where there is a genuine need. Any extension will be temporary, supported by a clear migration plan and approved by the regulator. There will be no open-ended exemptions," added MINICT.
Many telcos across the world have either retired or are in the process of retiring their legacy 2G and 3G mobile networks.
Just this week, Hong Kong telco SmarTone confirmed that its 3G network will be retired in October.
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