The 3G switch-off in Europe and what it changes for travellers

Why the old networks are going

The reasons are practical. BEREC, the body of European telecom regulators, lists more efficient use of spectrum, better security and reliability, and better service quality among the goals of phasing out 2G and 3G. Spain's Ministry for Digital Transformation adds cost and energy: keeping these technologies running is expensive and uses more power, and switching them off frees spectrum for 4G and 5G.

One detail is often misunderstood. BEREC points out that the frequencies are not being retired, only the technology carried on them, so the same bands can be reused by newer networks. That is how operators aim to keep coverage in rural areas and deep inside buildings. BEREC also notes that where the new service does not match the old one, there could be an impact, so a village or a basement that only ever had 3G is worth testing again.

No single European date

There is no EU-wide switch-off day. BEREC's latest overview sorts European countries into three groups: roughly half do not expect to switch off both 2G and 3G this decade; the other half have at least one operator doing so; and within that half, around ten countries plan a full switch-off of both technologies by every operator. BEREC adds that planned switch-offs have in several cases been delayed, and that in all cases the timing is decided by the operators.

For a traveller, that means the picture changes from one country, and from one network, to the next. Two operators in the same country can be at different stages, and a country can lose 3G while 2G stays on longer as a fallback. A phone that worked perfectly on your last trip somewhere is no promise for the next one.

VoLTE, the piece that suddenly matters

VoLTE stands for Voice over LTE. Google describes it as letting a phone make calls, send texts and reach emergency services over the 4G network. For years many phones and plans used 4G only for data: when a call started, the phone stepped down to 3G or 2G to carry it, and nobody noticed.

BEREC explains the catch. When a 4G call cannot be completed because the phone and the network do not agree on the settings, the normal fallback is 3G or 2G voice. Once those networks are gone, that fallback no longer exists and the call is simply not set up. And not every phone that supports 4G calls uses the same settings, BEREC adds, because the standards leave room for choice, while not every network supports every setting.

Why roaming is where it shows first

At home, your operator has usually tested your phone model on its own network. Abroad, your phone is a visitor on someone else's. BEREC calls VoLTE in roaming a specific problem where incompatibilities are likely, because the network and the handset both have to be configured for roaming. The Australian mobile industry association adds the commercial side: to use VoLTE overseas, your home operator must have a VoLTE roaming agreement with the operator you connect to in that country.

Combine either gap with a network that has dropped 3G and 2G and you get what BEREC describes: a phone that has coverage and an internet connection but does not always manage to make or receive voice calls. Maps and messaging apps keep working; the normal calls and texts on your number are what fail. BEREC notes the same risk for visitors to Europe, who arrive with their own phones assuming they can call, emergency calls included.

Emergency calls, texts and cars

The gap reaches 112 too. BEREC lists emergency calls among the things that are not always possible without a 2G or 3G fallback, and the Australian association warns that a phone without VoLTE emergency calling cannot reach emergency services in a country where both older networks are gone, even if it handles normal VoLTE calls. Our guide to calling for help with no signal covers what else to prepare.

Texts can be caught as well. BEREC warns that if SMS keeps working badly between phones and networks after the switch-off, some messages may not arrive, including the codes banks and public services send to sign you in; our guide to bank SMS codes abroad has the alternatives. And for drivers, BEREC notes that many existing cars have 2G-only modules for eCall, the automatic emergency call, which stops working once 2G and 3G are switched off.

What has been said in Spain

Spain's Ministry for Digital Transformation has opened a public consultation on switching off 2G and 3G. Its stated aim is to gather the information needed to define switch-off calendars by operator and technology, plans to move 2G and 3G services and devices to 4G and 5G, measures to inform and support users, and the continuity of 112. It singles out devices such as eCall, alarms, lifts and location trackers, and vulnerable groups such as older people and those who rely on telecare.

The operators run their own plans. Vodafone's business site says it began a staggered 3G switch-off and keeps extending it across the country, and it summarises the plans announced by Movistar and MasOrange, the latter keeping 2G as a residual technology for longer than 3G. Its advice for voice is to check that devices support 4G and have VoLTE switched on. If you look after an older relative's phone, add this to the checks in our guide to getting parents' phones ready for a trip.

How to find out where you stand

• Ask your operator whether your phone model and your SIM support VoLTE on its network. Apple notes that older SIM cards can block 4G calls and may need replacing.
• Ask whether it has VoLTE roaming with the networks in the countries you are visiting, and whether you need to switch anything on.
• Read your operator's switch-off page or customer notices, because that is where dates appear and where they change.
• Make sure VoLTE is not switched off on the phone; the option sits in the mobile network settings and its name varies by brand.

If calls still look uncertain, plan a second route. Wi-Fi Calling carries calls on your own number over Wi-Fi when your operator allows it abroad, and app calls run over any data connection, including a data eSIM such as Snoozim's, as explained in calling home with a data-only eSIM.