SmarTone said that it would terminate its 2G services on October 14. This comes after Hong Kong’s Office of the Communications Authority announced the Communications Authority’s decision to grant prior consent to the application by SmarTone to discontinue its 2G services.
In a press release, the company said that in response to the massive growth of mobile data usage in recent years and the decreasing market demand for 2G services, spectrum resources currently deployed for 2G network will be reallocated efficiently to drive 5G network development, bringing more innovative services and a better network experience to its customers.
SmarTone said that in entering the 5G era, the need for and usage of mobile data and digitalized services are growing. The number of SmarTone customers upgraded to 5G has been increasing. As of April 2022, the number of SmarTone customers using 2G handsets or devices only accounts for less than 0.1% of its customer base.
To fully appropriate the existing spectrum resources utilized by the 2G network (i.e. the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands of spectrum), the spectrum will be reallocated on October14 to better provide more advanced mobile services to customers using SmarTone’s 4G and 5G networks. SmarTone’s existing 2G network will continue as normal until October 14.
Norman Tam, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SmarTone, said, “The value of ‘Building Network with Heart’ has always been at the core of SmarTone’s development, and we will continue to adapt to the ever-changing needs of our customers to deliver the best possible user experience in 5G and beyond.”
To facilitate a smooth migration from 2G to more advanced mobile networks, SmarTone has been facilitating the affected customers to upgrade their 2G handsets or devices to options that have supported a higher generation mobile network since early 2021.
SmarTone is also working with a few enterprise customers who are still using 2G devices to ensure their smooth transition to 4G/5G services. SmarTone will continue to assist the affected customers in their upgrade of handsets or devices for the enjoyment of its 4G/5G services, and endeavor to offer proper arrangements to those who do not intend to upgrade from 2G.