Telia Estonia has denied plans it will retire its 2G network next year, insisting that the service will remain until at least 2029.
The telco made the comments to address suggestions that all of Telia Company group (including Estonia), plans to close their 2G or GSM network next year.
"Different Telia Company countries are moving towards closing down older mobile networks at different paces," said Oliver Lekk, head of Telia's mobile network department.
"If, for example, the plan to close the 2G network is already clear in Norway, we have not yet established a more precise schedule in Estonia. Therefore, before the end of this decade, i.e. 2029, we have no plans to shut down the 2G network."
The telco retired its 3G service last year, becoming the first to do so in Estonia. The carrier used the spectrum from this network for its 4G and 5G networks.
Providing an update around its network usage, Telia noted that more than 80 percent of Telia's mobile calls are made on its 4G network.
However, Telia reiterated that its 2G network still serves a small part of its mobile voice communications.
"The 2G network is also used for data transmission by various devices and systems such as card payment terminals, automatic gate systems, remotely readable water and gas meters, and various security systems," said the carrier.
Telia stated that its 2G network is also still in use for many car manufacturers.
Last week, France's Elevator Federation (Fédération des Ascenseurs) publicly called for the shutdown of the country's 2G and 3G networks to be delayed.
The Federation warned that the elevator industry is not ready for the shutdown of the services, with French publication Clubic reporting that nearly half of the country's elevators are equipped with either 2G or 3G technology.
