As 5G infrastructure begins its push throughout the U.S., 3G technology is on its way out.
AT&T and Verizon are both making plans to stop supporting 3G networks as company investments begins to move towards the inevitable 5G expansion. The move means that individuals who use older phone versions currently in the market will be forced to upgrade their devices all together. AT&T says the move will come early 2022.
A sizable portion of the wireless consumer market still runs on 3G platforms, with AT&T saying that 11 percent of their consumers still rely on that infrastructure for connectivity.
The existing 3G infrastructure is also taking away bandwidth from both 4G technology and 5G technology, a limitation that is making current cellular data users experience slower speeds.
President Trump tweeted Thursday morning, urging U.S. companies to begin embracing the impending 5G technology in order to avoid being left behind by competitors.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Verizon president Ronan Dunne told company investors that the carrier will aim to have active 5G connectivity in 30 cities across the country. Similarly, AT&T is launching the 5G service in 12 cities nationwide this year and will be carrying the new Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, the first 5G-capable phone in the market.
None of the major U.S. carriers have made any indication of tinkering with existing 4G networks.
