Older 2g phones will be paper weights soon.

[TennesseeCamper]

If you keep an older flip phone or brick phone to use for emergencies it won't work for much longer.

"The Wall Street Journal reports that AT&T has plans to shut down its 2G network by January 1, 2017. Roughly 12% of its contact wireless customers — 8.4 million people — have 2G handsets, and the company plans to gradually move them to devices running on more modern networks.
The timeline for the 2G shutdown was made in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday. An AT&T spokesman said the company no longer sells 2G handsets to contract or prepaid customers. Along with phones, the company does have some other devices connected to its 2G networks, but it also expects that they will transition to more modern technology in coming years. As the carriers deal with ever increasing data usage on their networks, they also are facing a spectrum shortage. "

[ehull20000]

bummer

[Clod Stomper]

Uh oh.  Looks like my Dad will have to upgrade.  His is probably 7 or 8 years old.

[No_0ne]

Just the nature of the beast, before there were "anyG" networks there were analog cell phones, many were included in luxury autos during the 90's, these went dead several years ago.  On the other hand, this gives me yet another reason why I don't own a cell of any ilk ...

[Oh Shoot]

Crap. I still use a RAZR V3, and even a backup.

 

- OS

[TennesseeCamper]

Crap. I still use a RAZR V3, and even a backup.
 
- OS

Check with your provider to see if your RAZR works on 3G. It might be ok.

[Oh Shoot]

Check with your provider to see if your RAZR works on 3G. It might be ok.

 

Looks grim as seems to only be a GSM device, which as I understand it, means 2G only.

 

- OS

[musicman]

Just jumping in to say those old phones won't be paper weights.

They're better at being targets than paperweights! ;-) I get great satisfaction from shooting electronics, from TVs, computers, phones, iPods, and small kitchen appliances to guitars and working amplifiers that are actual being played WHILE me and a half dozen buddies light 'em up! We did not shoot dude playing the guitar, btw. He was behind us, with 50 ft of cable and power running to the amps. Twas awesome!

[TennesseeCamper]

Looks grim as seems to only be a GSM device, which as I understand it, means 2G only.
 
- OS

It might still may work out for you.
I think GSM can be 2G, 3G or 4G it just depends on your phone. T-Mobile,and ATT are GSM networks. Your cell company can tell you if your phone will still work. They still make plenty of flip phones that will work on the new networks.

[CommsNBombs]

Gotta pull all that antiquated TDMA/CDMA nets in the ground

....granted most of the "good" Army tech is TDMA b/c why approve a 5000 man Task Force for FDMA that makes too much sense.

Itll still be useful overseas. Im sure ISIS will have a GSM/TDMA buy back program paid in little martydom nubile slave boys

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

[rmiddle]

If you keep an older flip phone or brick phone to use for emergencies it won't work for much longer.

"The Wall Street Journal reports that AT&T has plans to shut down its 2G network by January 1, 2017. Roughly 12% of its contact wireless customers — 8.4 million people — have 2G handsets, and the company plans to gradually move them to devices running on more modern networks.
The timeline for the 2G shutdown was made in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday. An AT&T spokesman said the company no longer sells 2G handsets to contract or prepaid customers. Along with phones, the company does have some other devices connected to its 2G networks, but it also expects that they will transition to more modern technology in coming years. As the carriers deal with ever increasing data usage on their networks, they also are facing a spectrum shortage. "

 

AT&T sent us a message over a year ago notify us of the cut off and in Canada they have already cut off there 2G network.  TMobile doesn't have a date yet on 2G hardware that is going away.  I still have some SMS gateways that don't have 3G modem available yet connected to phone switches that we had to switch over to tmobile as we know AT&T service was going away.

 

Thanks

Robert

[Fourtyfive]

My office alarm provider is wanting me to pay an extra $150 to upgrade my cell dialer on my alarm system. They said something about a Sunset law on it's service type or something ? I assume this is the same thing .....

[runco]

My dad and some of my friends still use flip phones and refuse to embrace any smartphone.  My father still does not know how to check for a text message which he gets from time to time, and drives him crazy.  I think for people who grew with the ole stand by maw bell phone, thinks a phone should last forever.  Not something you trade in every two years.

[jgradyc]

I just upgraded my wife's flip phone to a smart phone (Samsung Galaxy S5) and it scares me. She won't practice with it so the only time she uses it is when she's out. I think now I have to upgrade the car so she can have bluetooth for hands free answering.