Every beginning has its end, as they say. Today, one such beginning seems to be reaching the finish line – 3G, the real pioneer behind the modern smartphone’s dominance and legacy, is playing its final encore. Throughout December, Verizon, one of the largest data service providers in the US, has been disconnecting its customers who were still using 3G, cutting off their phones’ data capabilities, along with 3G network-reliant calls and texts. Verizon was the last major US carrier to make this move.
A Solid Farewell
To be fair, 3G Verizon customers were given ample time and prompts about the eventual service end. Verizon planned to originally shut the network down in 2019, but one delay led to another, slowly pushing the decision back to December 31, 2022. To replace their now-lost old-era tech, Verizon sent customers new LTE-capable phones.
While 3G will likely continue to exist in other countries for a few more years, Verizon’s move marks the final nail in the coffin for 3G in the US. That opens up opportunities to construct more modern network infrastructure, but shutting down a service that had been around for years will cause some things to break. (i.e connected vehicles, network-reliant appliances, and accessories, etc.).
For most of us, it might be easy to brush off the end of 3G. After all, that’s the logical next step for older technology, right? Besides, for those who grew up on LTE and beyond, 3G would have had minimal if any impact at all. The natural progression of things is for the old to gradually give way to the new as they become less prevalent and reliable. Regardless, while outdated, it should still be a fond farewell for 3G and remember it for what it was. 3G-capable phones first popped up during the 2000s but came into their own rise during the advent of the first smartphones.
As people started getting phones like the iPhone 3G or HTC Dream, the benefits of having fast data internet became obvious. On-the-go web browsing was no longer just a niche business activity, it slowly became accessible to more people, and for the most mundane of tasks such as browsing Yahoo images. Before LTE, 3G was the way to go if you wanted to access the internet without a dedicated internet connection (i.e computer with ethernet).
The Wrap
While it’s more beneficial to shift to newer networks, the relevance of this news is to remember where and how modern mobile browsing started. Historically, there were some technical lessons learned that have paved the way for the modern advancement of data and network technology, which is the most important takeaway. This brings us back to reality that in a few years, 4G will soon be saying goodbye, and such will be the course so long as we continue innovating and progressing.
Nevertheless, 3G is a legend in its own right and rightfully claims its place in the tech hall of fame. Modern Social Media wouldn’t be what it is if 3G never came to be; remember that.
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