Wireless Carriers Shutting Down 3G Network In Illinois In 2022

ILLINOIS — The nation's major cellphone carriers will be shutting down their 3G networks in 2022 to make room for the faster 5G network, and that means thousands of Illinois wireless customers who have hung onto older smartphones could soon be without service, unable to make or receive calls or texts.

The Federal Communications Commission is recommending customers with phones older than the iPhone 6 or the Samsung Galaxy S4 contact their carrier to see if they will be affected by the shutdown. Certain 4G mobile phones that don’t support Voice over LTE may also be impacted by the shutdown, which is already underway.

Affected devices will also be unable to place emergency 911 calls after the shutdown takes place.

Here's the schedule for the shutdown for each of the major wireless carriers:

• AT&T: By the end of February
• Sprint: By the end of March
• T-Mobile: By July 1
• Verizon: By the end of 2022

Sprint is also shutting down its 4G network by the end of June.

Smaller carriers, like Boost, Cricket, Straight Talk, and Lifeline, use the networks of the bigger carriers. Customers should contact their respective carriers for specific dates on when the shutdown will take place and whether it will impact their phone.

The FCC said the shutdown may also impact "certain medical devices, tablets, smartwatches, vehicle SOS services, home security systems, and other connected products may be using 3G network services" in its consumer guide to navigating the shutdowns.