Orange's 2G mobile network permanently cut

The end of an era. The historic operator Orange completely cut its 2G network this Tuesday, October 20. This network, which had become obsolete in the era of 4G and 5G, was shut down in four phases: in the spring in the South-West, in Nice since September 22, then in 44 departments on October 6, and finally in the last remaining departments this Tuesday. The network has also been cut in the overseas departments and territories, except in Mayotte where it will only be interrupted at the end of the year and in a few regulated white zones which benefit from a reprieve until the beginning of December.

Orange explains that it made this choice to “refocus” on 4G and 5G, “more efficient from an environmental and technical point of view and even more secure”. The 3G network must therefore also be stopped by the historic operator, an operation planned for 2028.

Equipment still connected to 2G and 3G networks

The other operators made the same decision, recalls Arcep, the telecoms policeman. At SFR, the shutdown of 2G in mainland France is scheduled for November 15, that of 3G is scheduled for the end of 2028. As for Bouygues Telecom, it will disconnect 2G between December 1 and 15 after a test in a few cities on November 15, then will phase out 3G at the end of 2029. Free, which arrived later on the market, does not have a 2G network and has not yet communicated the shutdown schedule for its 3G network.

If the decision to shut down these old networks rests with the operators, Arcep explains that it will notably free up frequencies to reuse them for 4G and 5G. With 4G covering 99.9% of the metropolitan population, this switchover should not create a white zone, but there remains 0.1% of the population without a network.