WCCB Charlotte's CW
July 19, 2021
By Alabama News Network Staff
A few weeks ago a good friend asked why he had gotten an email from his wireless carrier notifying him his phone will no longer work on their network.
This morning someone else sent me an email asking the same question. She had been contacted by her carrier Consumer Cellular saying her older phone must be replaced by August 31st.
They both thought it couldn’t be possible. Why would a phone just stop working on a network?
The answer is simple: the old 3G networks are being phased out.
Cell towers that were erected 5-10 years ago carry the 3G and 4G networks that all smartphones connect to. Now that 5G connectivity is being pushed out all over the country, those wireless companies need more bandwidth.