SINGAPORE — From Aug 1, local mobile network operators will begin to bid farewell to 3G — or third-generation wireless technology that helped to usher in modern smartphones.

M1 will be the first to retire its entire 3G network as all its 3G customers have subscribed to 4G or 5G services.

Singtel and StarHub will give their remaining 3G subscribers more time to migrate, with plans to discontinue the network from November, said the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in a statement on July 24.

Once the network is shut down, those still on 3G devices will no longer receive voice, messaging and data services.

The progress update comes after the network operators in July 2023 announced plans to retire 3G networks. IMDA required operators to ensure that those who used 3G were migrated smoothly to 4G or 5G networks, and said the companies could shut down the service after July 31.

Introduced more than two decades ago, 3G networks ushered in the smartphone era by enabling widespread mobile internet browsing and transforming smartphones like the iPhone 3G and early Samsung Galaxy S devices into mini-computers.

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