South Africa’s 2G/3G Shutdown: What Telcos Must Know
As South Africa moves towards an ambitious network upgrade, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)’s plan to sunset 2G and 3G services by December 2027 has become a focal point for the telecommunications industry. The strategic shift, while technologically progressive, is expected to have far-reaching implications for operators, suppliers and enterprise end-users.
Motivation for the 2G/3G shutdown
The switch-off promises to unlock valuable spectrum resources currently allocated to legacy networks.
“South Africa’s plan to sunset its 2G and 3G networks by 2027 promises to unlock valuable spectrum for expanding 4G and 5G services.
"However, the path to shutdown is far from straightforward and the readiness of both operators and users remains in question”.
Freeing up spectrum will enable more widespread deployment of faster, more reliable technologies, strengthening the nation’s digital infrastructure and supporting next-generation services.
The challenge of user migration
Opensignal’s recent assessment of South African mobile usage over a two-year window —2023 to 2025— highlights several obstacles. A significant share of users remains reliant on 2G and 3G, primarily due to the affordability and safety benefits of basic handsets.
One of the biggest challenges to 2G network sunsetting is the large number of cheap 2G-only handsets that consumers use to avoid crime. Theft of mobile phones — frequently involving the threat of violence — is all-too-common in some areas, meaning people will not carry smartphones on the street for fear of becoming a target.
Additionally, device penetration rates exceed 300%, with many users employing low-cost feature phones while reserving smartphones for comparatively safer environments. The behaviour presents a non-trivial hurdle for the mass adoption of 4G and 5G devices.
Device affordability and regulatory interventions
Mitigating the impact on vulnerable and price-sensitive customers has become a government priority. Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi has introduced a tax-free policy for smartphones under a defined price threshold to encourage migration to newer technology standards.
Yet, it remains uncertain whether the intervention will be sufficient to prevent a connectivity gap once the legacy networks go offline.
Market dynamics and operator readiness
Market fragmentation compounds the migration challenge. Opensignal’s research offers data-driven insights:
- “Vodacom and MTN lead the South African market, each commanding over 30% connections market share in Q1 2025. According to GSMA Intelligence, MTN had 77% of its total connections on 4G networks, with the majority of the remainder on 5G. In contrast, less than two-thirds of Vodacom’s total connections are on 4G, with the rest split between 5G and 3G.”
- Cell C, which has not yet commercially launched 5G, faces its hurdles: “It will be a challenge for the operator to migrate its 3G customers to 4G before the end of 2027”.
Despite progress, smartphone users on networks such as Cell C and MTN still spend as much as 10% of their time on 2G and 3G, while for Telkom and Vodacom, the figure drops to just under 7%. “While over a third of Cell C’s connections are on 2G and 3G, our smartphone users are spending less time on these networks, meaning that the key challenge for South Africa’s operators is to reduce the use of 2G and 3G devices,” Opensignal observes.
Strategic and operational considerations
Local operators have shown marked improvements in both Consistent Quality (CQ) and availability metrics, suggesting ongoing investment in infrastructure is yielding results.
However, Opensignal cautions, “uneven user migration and strategic differences across providers could delay full legacy network retirement”. Operators focusing on network core upgrades, customer migration programmes and bespoke deployment strategies will be best positioned to capture the upside of new spectrum releases.
Broader industry implications
ICASA’s push towards a 2027 deadline is a clear call to action for the sector.
The sunset of legacy networks is more than a technical milestone: it is a market-defining moment that will influence device ecosystems, vertical applications reliant on machine-to-machine (M2M) protocols and the overall pace of South Africa’s digital transformation. Proactive partnerships between regulators, operators and technology vendors will be essential to ensure a smooth transition and sustainable growth.
As ICASA’s timeline approaches, the telecommunications industry finds itself at the intersection of technological advancement and socio-economic reality. While measurable progress is visible in user experience and network performance, the presence of millions of legacy devices and uneven migration patterns illustrate that “the path to shutdown is far from straightforward”.
The coming years must see collaborative action, nimble adaptation and continued focus on affordability and safety to realise the full promise of South Africa’s digital future.
