This technological shift is global. In several countries, such as Australia, Canada, and the United States, operators have already shut down their 2G and/or 3G networks. In most European countries, including France, operators are following suit with a scheduled shutdown of 2G and 3G technologies.
As an IoT operator, Bouygues Telecom aims to offer its customers technologies and products that are adapted to market evolutions through its brand Objenious. Committed to meeting the varied business needs of its IoT customers with the most suitable service, Bouygues Telecom provides a complete range of cellular IoT technologies including 4G, 5G, LTE-M, and NB-IoT. More efficient and complementary, these technologies will optimize the efficiency of the freed frequency bands, reduce network energy consumption, thereby contributing to its decarbonization.
In 2022 and 2023, French operators announced the shutdown dates by technology with the following schedules:
- Orange will shut down 2G by the end of 2025, and 3G by the end of 2028.
- SFR will shut down 2G by the end of 2026, and 3G by the end of 2028.
- Bouygues Telecom will shut down 2G by the end of 2026, and 3G by the end of 2029.
How to prepare for this technological change?
Companies or public authorities using connected devices solely on 2G and/or 3G must anticipate migrating their fleets to the appropriate IoT technology or technologies: LTE-M, NB-IoT, 4G, 5G.
This technological migration is an opportunity for the development of new innovative and differentiating services. The discontinuation of 2G and 3G has been announced several years in advance by Bouygues Telecom to allow for the preparation of this IoT migration. It’s important for clients to anticipate this shift as soon as possible.
Objenious, the Bouygues Telecom brand dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT), relies on its multi-technology panel including 4G, 5G, LTE-M, and NB-IoT to support the digital transformation of businesses and public authorities. As an expert, Objenious advises its clients and prospects on their IoT solution evolution strategy.
The majority of current use cases in 2G and 3G are transitioning to LTE-M and NB-IoT, but why?
LTE-M and NB-IoT are networks that comply with the 3GPP standard. Highly efficient and known as LPWA (Low-Power Wide-Area) networks, they are based on 4G and are 5G-ready. They meet the needs of a wide majority of the current 2G/3G use cases because they combine energy efficiency, relatively high throughput, and international availability.
This movement is global; today, there are over 60 LTE-M networks and 110 NB-IoT networks worldwide (source: GSMA). The demand is high with a Bouygues Telecom network that covers more than 99% of the french national population and technical availability in over 29 countries thanks to 4G agreements already established by Bouygues Telecom. LTE-M and NB-IoT are becoming the Swiss Army knives of IoT.
This leads to an increasingly sustained production of LTE-M and NB-IoT devices, competitive with their equivalents in 4G, 3G, and potentially 2G. As LPWA technologies, LTE-M and NB-IoT have functionalities that can increase battery life up to 10 years.
This is why use cases currently on 2G and 3G are transitioning to LTE-M or NB-IoT.
Whom should I contact for the migration of my fleet?
For the migration of an Objenious 2G and/or 3G fleet, your usual commercial contact will respond to your needs and will propose service offers suited to your use case.
Objenious prospects can send a request by email: contact@objenious.com or through our contact form.
Objenious by Bouygues Telecom also offers digital deals, available online. With a completely digitized process, order your LTE-M, 4G, or NB-IoT Sim cards and receive your cards within 3 business days.
Companies need to prepare their IoT migration plan to successfully navigate this technological turn as soon as possible. Objenious experts are there to advise them.