2G phase out

[Silent-Hunter]

How will this affect Pyra customers' ability to use voice and SMS services?

http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/12152340/2016-the-year-of-the-2g-sunset

 

[EvilDragon]

They will use 3G, I guess

 

[Silent-Hunter]

They will use 3G, I guess

But how? I thought the Pyra's modem didn't support voice or SMS over anything but 2G. Or does it have VoLTE support?

 

[Yoyobuae]

But how? I thought the Pyra's modem didn't support voice or SMS over anything but 2G. Or does it have VoLTE support?

I'm not 100% sure, but some light reading on the internet suggests that circuit switched services (voice, SMS) can also work in 3G networks in similar fashion as they did for 2G networks.

The question that remains is if this is widely implemented. I don't remember seeing 3G phones switch down to 2G when phone call is received/made. Only time I see 2G being used is when manually forcing it, or when 3G signal is not available.

Note that VoLTE support is not relevant here, that's for voice support over 4G network.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

I'm not 100% sure, but some light reading on the internet suggests that circuit switched services (voice, SMS) can also work in 3G networks in similar fashion as they did for 2G networks.

The question that remains is if this is widely implemented. I don't remember seeing 3G phones switch down to 2G when phone call is received/made. Only time I see 2G being used is when manually forcing it, or when 3G signal is not available.

Note that VoLTE support is not relevant here, that's for voice support over 4G network.

This is what I was seeing too, I just wish I could get some confirmation that the PLS-8 will support this.

 

[Klumpen]

Wait, is this affecting people which use old phones instead of those new smartphones?
Do I have to get a new one?

 

[benoitb]

Both 2G and 3G support circuit service, you don't have to worry.

Klumpen: eventually yes. If your old phone uses GSM only and your operator fades out GSM, you'll have to change it. There are cheap 3G simple phones as well now.

In France only Free lacks a GSM network, but they have a roaming agreement with Orange. I think GSM will still live a few years in Europe.

 

[levi]

There are cheap 3G simple phones as well now.

Are there? I'm in the market for a 3G non-smartphone, but I haven't seen anything that isn't running Android or iOS for a long time. Do you have an suggested devices or manufacturers to look at?

FWIW, that article in the OP refers to AT&T's 2G service. That's US-based I assume. And it refers separately to CDMA which was the technology most Americans were using while we were using GSM 2G, so I assume they mean GSM 2G in the US which was only ever a minority technology, as far as I know only ever rolled out to a few cities (although perhaps 3G and 4G mast upgrades over the years also brought GSM 2G out to more locations - I stopped caring by then). It's still a concern that if the Pyra's GSM chip can only do SMS over 2G and US customers end up using that, but I can confirm that you can SMS over 3G - my network op only does 3/4G, and my current 3G phone still sends and receives SMSes fine.

Edit: I've forgotten (if I ever knew) what the Pyra's GSM chip supports in EU 4G and US 4G versions, but the fact my phone supports various things over 3G may not be directly relevant.

 

[diligentcircle]

Are there? I'm in the market for a 3G non-smartphone, but I haven't seen anything that isn't running Android or iOS for a long time.

Er, Wal-mart? Kroger? Meijer? Really, I can literally find one of these anyywhere. My last phone was one of these; I got it like a year or two ago, and my mom got one too just a little bit before that. And at the Kroger I work at, at least one of the... six?... phones they offer is one of those, and it's super cheap (like $15, IIRC).

You can get super-cheap smartphones, too. Mine costed $10.

I've only looked at prepaid pay-as-you-go phones, to be fair.

 

[levi]

I'm not interested in a smartphone. I don't want anything that can run apps or surf the web because my Pyra will be for that, while I'd rather my phone doesn't need monitoring for aftermarket spyware or the likes. All the cheap phones I can find on my operator's website are Android phones, but perhaps I'll check out some real stores in the morning (and on Amazon all the non-smartphones I can see are 2G only phones). You sure your walmart phone talks WCDMA?

 

[benoitb]

I'll find one today. Free used to sell a ZTE WCDMA phone in france around 15 or 20€. Not a smartphone.

Edit: ZTE F160. it supports UMTS on 900 and 2100 Mhz.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

Both 2G and 3G support circuit service, you don't have to worry.

Klumpen: eventually yes. If your old phone uses GSM only and your operator fades out GSM, you'll have to change it. There are cheap 3G simple phones as well now.

In France only Free lacks a GSM network, but they have a roaming agreement with Orange. I think GSM will still live a few years in Europe.

Thanks for the reassuring! I had no idea anything but 2G supported that stuff.

 

[TeDaDeS]

In the Netherlands they are probably going to stop 3G before 2G, as lot of business have 2G-equiptment and most homes now have a 'smart' energy meters that uses 2G. They use 2G as it usually has better long-range and in-home coverage.

 

[levi]

Yes, lower frequency signals have better propagation characteristics but lower bandwidth, although since switching to a 3G only contract I can't say I've noticed any black spots that I used to get reception in inside buildings. I understand there are a lot more 3G transponders than 2G ones to get the same level of coverage though.

 

[Yoyobuae]

Yes, lower frequency signals have better propagation characteristics but lower bandwidth, although since switching to a 3G only contract I can't say I've noticed any black spots that I used to get reception in inside buildings. I understand there are a lot more 3G transponders than 2G ones to get the same level of coverage though.

"You are never more than 60 feet away from a cellular transponder." Might be something that could be said in the near future.

 

[Askarus]

A shutdown of 2G or 3G would be bad for me.
As I have an older smartphone (HTC Desire Z about as old as the Pandora) without LTE a shutdown of one of the frequencies would mean to loose the backup plan when one of the two is missing

And at least in Germany 2G is still the frequency that has the best coverage for Calling/SMS (At least what's my experience).

 

[benoitb]

It depends on the operator's choice. Traditionnaly GSM was on 900 and UMTS on 2100MHz.
But you can have UMTS on 900Mhz as well and nowadays LTE is available in the 800 and 700MHz bands.

So any network technology can have a wide coverage.

 

[levi]

Yes, that all depends on the licensing of the spectrum, and therefore the country you're in. Here, 2G generally runs on <1.8GHz, and 3G on >1.9GHz, but there's three or so bands in each. I dunno about 4G as much, but I guess since we had to get a device to sort out interference from it with our DVB reception, I guess it's under about .8GHz at least in that instance.