Mobile 2G/3G networks are going away. Some carriers' shutoff dates are already public and others are yet to be announced, but the end for this technology is inevitable. While many companies and public sector agencies stopped using 2G/3G a long time ago, the shutoff will cause significant turmoil for the hundreds of enterprises that are still using this technology for early IoT use cases or are in the midst of digital transformation journeys.
The turmoil will result in a positive outcome as much of the 2G and 3G spectrum will be repurposed for 5G, but it is nevertheless something organisations need to anticipate. For those that are using it for IoT, this is the ideal opportunity to deploy future-proof IoT solutions that both mitigate the potential network security risks posed by IoT devices and enable the connectivity necessary to future-proof rapidly expanding enterprise networks for innovations. The natural step forward is an upgrade to 4G LTE, but many enterprises are already looking ahead to 5G, which raises questions around timing, deployment strategies, and the best way to future-proof investments.
Source: https://techerati.com/features-hub/opinions/are-you-prepared-for-the-enterprise-2g-3g-shutdown/
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 13 2019, @04:26PM (2 children)
Increased prices for shit I don't want.
I just make phone calls.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 13 2019, @04:40PM (1 child)
Is the free market AC finally beginning to crack?
I know you were going for irony
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 13 2019, @04:58PM
He was on his way to TMB's house?
(Score: 3, Informative) by nobu_the_bard on Monday May 13 2019, @04:50PM
This document appears to have the actual dates, I didn't do extensive research on the sources here so take with a grain of salt:
https://www.multitech.com/documents/publications/marketing-guides/MT_Anticipated_Sunset_Cellular_Carriers_PDF.pdf [multitech.com]
(Score: 3, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Monday May 13 2019, @04:57PM (2 children)
I think Arkansas is supposed to get 2G sometime around 2035. Maybe.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by chrisM on Tuesday May 14 2019, @02:58AM (1 child)
I am doing volunteer work in Buala (Santa Isobel Island) , Solomon Islands.
The local 'Telekom' company (owned by the government) still only provides 2G to the area and this is where the provincial government is located(!)
The Telekom company promised 3G in 2016 but keeps deferring. They just did it again until next year.
Internet peaks at about 35kbs if you're very lucky and it's 04:30.
Otherwise anywhere between zero and 10kbs during the day.
Any practical suggestions?
NB Even my time in Timor Leste had better internet
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday May 14 2019, @01:10PM
Well, it almost sounds like moving to Arkansas would be an improvement to you, if you stay the larger cities. Don't come out in the countryside, cause it isn't much better than where you are.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 13 2019, @05:35PM
Ding, Ding, Ding!!!
From TFS:
> For those that are using it for IoT, this is the ideal opportunity to deploy future-proof IoT solutions that both mitigate the potential network security risks posed by IoT devices...
Like that's going to happen, rriiight(sarc).
IMHO, IoT has a good use case inside a factory, inside a nice metal (Faraday cage) building -- will save a lot of copper and fiber pulling. In my house or with an antenna on my car, no thanks.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 13 2019, @05:50PM
i am totally looking forward to 5G. My IoT device with a speaker, microphone, keypad with 12 buttons and AWESOME battery
life is totally waiting to make a audio wormwhole from itself to another device far far away at super excellent sound quality (also it can play "snakes").
as for my soon to be obsolete and not-getting-updates-anymore smartphone -aka- "obsoletephone" -aka- "landfill-feed", it already is feeding me advertisements at 480 Mbps
over 5Ghz AC wifi connected to a 1 Gbit/sec GPON fiber uplink.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 13 2019, @06:01PM
I probably won't notice since I have little use for mobile data.
I have Internet access at both home and work, netcasts/audio books/lectures while driving, open street maps for navigation, and the entire English Wikipedia on a microSD.
My phone plan is $11/month and used to have only 10MB/month, but was freely upgraded to 100MB that I still don't use about a year ago. Don't pay for something you don't use - check the wiki list of MVNOs and switch to a plan that is more restricted to your use if you're still with a major carrier.
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/net.osmand.plus/ [f-droid.org]
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.kiwix.kiwixmobile/ [f-droid.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_mobile_virtual_network_operators [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 5, Insightful) by SomeGuy on Monday May 13 2019, @06:18PM (1 child)
Uh, "IoT" and "future-proof" are two completely opposite things. Half of the point of IoT shit is to arbitrarily keep consumertards on the upgrade train. (The other half being spying). Upgrade to some newer IoT shit and you still WILL have to throw it away after a couple of years.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 13 2019, @06:25PM
"Future-proof" as in "NO FUTURE" as long as it is tied to a treadmill of cellular carrier "upgrades"
(Score: 3, Interesting) by progo on Monday May 13 2019, @07:48PM (1 child)
I'll bet a lot of sugar/salt product distributors thought the 3G modem modules they installed in their vending machines were future-proof.
What's the expiration date on 4G?
(Score: 3, Touché) by bob_super on Monday May 13 2019, @08:39PM
According to AT&T, it's already obsolete.
(Score: 2) by drussell on Monday May 13 2019, @09:26PM (1 child)
If this is anything like Rogers shutting down the originally excellent TDMA network from the 90s in favor of the bullshit they are using now, then this is a terrible situation....
I still have old Nokia phones I would absolutely still be using (like my beloved 6160!) as a daily-driver cell phone which had nothing more exotic than "snake" for "smarts" but sporting absolutely fabulous RF radios that would always seem to work, even in an underground parking lot bunker-style situation or out in the boonies (and I don't mean reverting to analog, still a digital and still sporting today's all-important SMS-able connection... though you would be out of luck for real "data" on that ecosystem....
If they try to move me to even more useless devices, I may have to just say screw-that...
... call me on a real POTS land line!
:facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 14 2019, @08:00AM
Tech is only a tool to make more money. It's not there to be a solution to problems. Or work correctly. If it works too goo then nobody buys anything new.
(Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Tuesday May 14 2019, @02:32PM
From TFS:
First, companies don't want to deploy future-proof (or anything remotely resembling such) solutions, as it means they get less traction on new products, upgrades, subscriptions, etc.
Second, there's no such thing as future-proof. The ground is moving underneath us all the time. Shit that worked before doesn't work now; shit that works now won't work later. Count on it. You can call it "fyngyrz law" if you like. 😊
--
Some drink from the fountain of knowledge. Others gargle.