AT&T to Sunset 2G Network by 2017
Sunset 2G
The company you are purchasing your service from does not control the towers you are using.
The larger carriers all relegate the non-customer traffic on their towers to bottom tier.
Taking a look at some of the mvno coverage maps you will see areas where you are sorta guaranteed voice, you might get txt sv and data is out of the question, depending on their contract with the native footprint carrier.
The major carriers will not allow some non cotract user from another carrier bump their contracted customers off a tower.
You will always be a second class citizen as an mvno customer.
mobilemadness said:
... I don't see what the rush is by AT&T to get rid of 2G.
Spectrum. As data usage soars, AT&T doesn't have enough. Each technology requires its own dedicated section of spectrum. Running 2G, 3G, and 4G networks side-by-side requires a boatload of spectrum. Keeping a 2G network running when very few people use it is both expensive and hogs spectrum that could go to improving the 3G and 4G networks. Fewer (and newer) technologies are always much more efficient.
For example, lets say AT&T has 20 MHz of bandwidth to work with in a given town. They use 5 MHz for 2G, 10 MHz for 3G, and 5 MHz for 4G. (This is a gross simplification, but it makes the point, I think.)
In a couple of years...
(continues)
Folks, life goes on and companies must continually improve their products or risk getting left in the dust.
That's the latest date for the absolute last 2G tower in the country to go offline...not the date for when it will begin....in most parts of the country that will no doubt happen a lot quicker....they already announced that the 2G network in New York will be shuttered by 2014.....
This forum is closed.