1. The 2G withdrawal process of the three major operators

As we all know, China Unicom's 3G network adopts WCDMA technology. Whether the network capability or stability is among the top three operators, China Unicom focuses on the withdrawal of 2G network. At present, China Unicom is speeding up the withdrawal of 2G network. Some provinces have begun to stop the use of 2G network services from the inside. Gradually expand outward.

China Telecom spent 110 billion yuan to buy CDMA from Unicom and began to operate the network. In the era of 3G, China Telecom continued to carry the flag of CDMA and became CDMA2000. Therefore, for China Telecom, 2G and 3G share the same frequency band. In 2016 and 2017, China Telecom realized the re-cultivation of its 800M band. According to the network load, the original 800M band of 2G and 3G is 4GNB-IOT. The 2G network is transformed into Internet of Things communication, and the 3G network is upgraded to 4G network.

China Mobile is special among the three major operators. Due to its unique TD-SCDMA system, its 3G network experience is not good. For 2G network, its coverage is much better than 3G. Therefore, it is the best choice for China Mobile to withdraw 3G and reserve 2G.

Looking around the world, telecom operators frequently withdraw from 2G/3G networks. As early as 2008, Japan's KDDI has withdrawn 2G; Australian Telecom has withdrawn 2G in 2016; Verizon will also withdraw 2G in 2019.

Fu Liang, an independent Telecom analyst, told TechWeb that at present, the three major domestic operators have their own choice of withdrawal strategies for 2G and 3G. China Mobile chooses to retain 2G and withdraw 3G. China Unicom's 3G network has the largest number of users in the world, so it chooses a more radical withdrawal 2G GSM network, while China Telecom chooses not for the time being. Return, according to the use of the frequency band of re-tillage to reduce costs and increase efficiency, improve utilization.

Fu Liang said that so far, the three major operators on 2G or 3G network withdrawal still do not have a complete specific timetable.

Will the huge number of 2.2G users affect consumers?

Up to now, mobile communication technology has been updated and replaced many times. At present, the development of 5G is in full swing, but in fact, the number of 2G and 3G users in China is still large. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the total number of 2G and 3G mobile phone users is still about 400 million by the end of 2018.

Fu Liang pointed out that at present, 2G users account for about 15% of the total number of mobile users, and 3G users account for about 7%.

What we call 2G devices can be roughly divided into two parts: seniors and intelligent hardware.

Before the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the 4G license, the stock market of geriatric machines was huge. For most intelligent terminals, only supporting 2G system, coupled with the functional requirements of the elderly themselves, 2G geriatric machines have been used up to now. The other part is some intelligent hardware products, such as smart watches, water meter reading and so on.

Will 2G users be affected by withdrawal? The answer is yes.

Returning from the network means that the old 2G terminals in China will completely lose the function of network connection. At the same time, considering the impact of speed-up and fee-reduction on operators in recent two years, operation cost compression and the abandonment of old base stations, the coverage area of 2G network will be greatly reduced and user experience will be reduced.

What should users do after the 3.2G network shuts down?

Operator 2G withdrawal is the general trend, so we still need to discuss the "2G network after the closure of the user how to do".

Fu Liang pointed out that the current operators are very encouraging users to migrate to 3G/4G. If there is a definite withdrawal schedule, on the one hand, operators will allow users to migrate through a package similar to the tariff subsidy, on the other hand, the user groups of older machines can continue to use the current network through the way of carrying numbers to the network.

In fact, the withdrawal of operators is the inevitable direction of the development of China's telecommunications industry. The main reasons are as follows.

Firstly, network traffic and voice demand continue to decline, operation and maintenance costs continue to increase, withdrawal will help operators reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Secondly, clearing up some spectrum resources and realizing re-cultivation and utilization will help the 4G and 5G networks play their greatest role and enable users to get a better network experience.

Third, concentrate on human, material and financial resources to develop 5G.