by Greg McCall, BT's Chief Networks Officer

Belfast cemented itself as part of BT Group’s rich history last week as the location where the company switched off its final 3G mobile site, bringing an end to the use of the technology in its EE mobile network after more than 20 years.

It was a landmark moment as the company continues its work to upgrade Britain’s connectivity infrastructure. But more importantly, it is a significant milestone for communities across the UK who are now embracing the benefits provided by modern mobile technologies like 4G and 5G.

Having spent 2023 phasing out customer reliance on 3G and completing a detailed pilot switch off in Warrington,BT was able to start the nationwide 3G switch off as planned in early January.

Since then, we have been responsibly and methodically retiring the technology across more than 18,000 mobile sites, with dedicated pauses built into the process so we could closely monitor each region in real-time.

BT has now successfully completed the nationwide closure of its 3G network, resulting in big improvements for both our customers and the environment.

Those 3G customers who have transitioned to its 4G and 5G networks are now enjoying more reliable and widespread mobile coverage with faster mobile internet speeds, while switching off 3G has already saved enough energy to charge nearly one billion smartphones.

This article can be read in full on BT's website here.