Following the "Big Brother" and "PHS", another round of wide-ranging upgrading has been staged in the field of mobile communications. Recently, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) responded that the withdrawal of 2G and 3G networks has become an inevitable choice for the upgrading of mobile communication networks. This has aroused heated discussions among many netizens, and netizens have posted all kinds of "nostalgic equipment" that have been eliminated or are still in use.
The reporter of "Daily Economic News" visited the business halls of many operators in Beijing and learned that if the 2G and 3G base stations are completely shut down, the mismatched products will no longer be available. However, since it is not yet clear when the network will be fully withdrawn, users who have transitional needs but do not have a plan to replace their devices can try to upgrade the ** card, turn on the "VoLTE HD call" function, and turn off the Internet function after upgrading the 4G or above** card to continue to use the original device.
Recently, there has also been new news for 6G. According to CCTV News,China will accelerate the R&D and innovation of 6G technology, and achieve commercial use around 2030. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has guided the establishment of a 6G promotion group to provide policy guarantees for 6G innovation and development, and to promote the formation of a unified global standard for 6G.
Wang Zhiqin, head of the 6G promotion team, said that 6G technology is actually a new technology for 5G intergenerational update, and mobile communication is generated every ten years, so for 6G, its commercial time is basically around 2030, and its standardization time will be in 2025.
In the view of the industry, the gradual upgrading of mobile communication networks must be the trend of the times, and the key is to explore a set of replicable models to help users achieve a smooth transition. Taking the practice of operators in previous rounds of network withdrawal as an example, the supply side may try more ways, such as upgrading the contract** to send 4G mobile phones to the door, gradually prohibiting 2G and 3G devices from entering the network, etc., while maintaining the transparency of relevant decision-making and encouraging and guiding 2G and 3G users to withdraw from the network.
2G and 3G will eventually become the memory of the times
What should I do if I am disconnected?
At the other end of the electronic screen, Wang Zhihua, who saw the discussion of 2G 3G retirement on the Internet, touched out the 3G mobile phone that had been "retired" for a long time - this is a gift that his son bought for him after work. At that time, Wang Zhihua once became the envy of the neighborhood with this "fresh goods". For him, the text messages and call records left in this "old guy" are treasures to look through from time to time.
Wang Zhihua's 3G mobile phone was taken by reporter Yang Hui
Over the years, every time he changes a new mobile phone and a card, Wang Zhihua will deliberately leave the largest card sleeve to ensure that the new card can be inserted into the old machine. Although he understands the pace and necessity of mobile communication upgrading, Wang Zhihua still hopes that communication technology can retain more temperature when it changes.
Why do you have to return 2G and 3G?At present, how far has the 2G and 3G network withdrawal of operators progressed?On December 5, the reporter of "Daily Economic News" asked China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom about this, but did not receive an effective response as of press time.
According to the introduction of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in the recent reply to the citizens' Q&A in the People's Daily Online leadership message board, in June 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a 5G license, China's 5G was officially commercialized, and China's mobile communications entered the stage of 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G "four generations in the same house".
The withdrawal of 2G and 3G is an inevitable choice for the upgrading of mobile communication networks, and it is also the main practice in the world. According to incomplete statistics, more than 100 operators around the world have implemented 2G and 3G network withdrawals, and used the frequencies vacated by 2G and 3G for 4G and 5G deployment. The use of limited frequency resources and network resources in the development of 4G and 5G mobile communication networks is conducive to reducing network operating costs as a whole and improving China's network operation efficiency.
At the same time,At present, most of the mobile phones on the market are full Netcom, which need to support all six standards and more than ten frequency bands, and withdrawing from the network can also reduce the complexity of mobile phones, which is conducive to improving the efficiency of mobile phones and reducing the cost of mobile phone terminals.
Since withdrawing from the network is a "certainty", upgrading equipment is obviously the most direct solution.
However, according to the "2023-2028 In-depth Analysis and Investment Value Research and Consulting Report on the Elderly Mobile Phone Industry" released by the China Research Institute of Puhua Industry Research Institute, the current mobile phone consumer market for the elderly has a market size of nearly 60 million units per year. Of these 60 million units, only 10% have 4G or 5G enabled smartphones.
On December 5, the reporter of "Daily Economic News" visited the business halls of a number of operators in Beijing to consult on the problems reported by netizens in the process of 2G and 3G network withdrawal, such as the sudden inability to continue to call, the lack of signal of the equipment, and whether it needs to be replaced.
According to the staff of a number of business halls, it is not clear the specific progress of the withdrawal of the network and the closure of the base station. However, it is certain that once the 2G and 3G base stations are completely shut down, the terminal equipment that does not support 4G and above networks and the ** card below 4G will face elimination.
At the stage when the 2G and 3G base stations have not all been shut down, how to transition users who do not have a plan to replace their phones for the time being?
A staff member of a business hall of China Telecom in Beijing told reporters that at present, China Mobile's 2G base station can still be used, and the 4G+2G full Netcom elderly machine sold in its store needs to support 2G signal through China Mobile's ** card.
A 4G+2G full Netcom elderly machine currently on the market is taken by reporter Yang Hui
In addition, the above-mentioned China Telecom business hall staff also told reporters that the current new number and mobile terminal equipment are turned on by default when entering the network"VoLTE high-definition call" function, which can be connected to 4G and 5G signals to achieve first-class call and other functions. However, some 2G and 3G mobile phone terminals produced earlier have not opened this function.
If a user has a normal number query status, but cannot receive calls, in addition to checking whether the **card is demagnetized, you can also try to turn on the "Volte HD call" function for free. After activation, the network is not used to make calls, and only the number of call minutes in ** will be deducted.
As for the specific activation method, whether the user's current tariff** supports this function, whether the device used has this function and other information, you need to call the operator to which the number belongs or the user himself will go to the business hall with his ID card for consultation.
In addition to the above measures, a staff member of a China Mobile business hall in Changping District, Beijing also told reporters that if there is a situation where you cannot make a call** or the mobile phone does not display a signal, users can choose to go to the business hall to upgrade the **card to4G and above, and the original tariff** will not change.
Talking about the current demand that some elderly users do not want to open mobile network services and only need to use 2G signals to achieve the need to receive and call, the above-mentioned staff said that they can also choose to suspend background data. Taking Beijing Mobile as an example, after the user upgrades the ** card, Beijing Mobile supports the suspension of background traffic data, and the mobile phone will not be able to access the Internet after the pause, but it can accept 2G signal to realize the function of receiving and calling.
As for whether China Mobile's 2G base stations will also be shut down in the future, and when they will be closed, the staff of the above-mentioned business hall said that they do not know about this.
The replacement of the old and the new becomes a rule
The industry is in dire need of reproducible resettlement measures
In this wave of "memory tide" caused by the change of communication technology, in addition to earlier mobile phone devices, many users have shared their own 2G watches and other products.
On December 5, telecom analyst Fu Liang told the "Daily Economic News" reporter that at present, in addition to the use of middle-aged and elderly end users, 2G and 3G still have certain application scenarios in daily life, such as some POS machines, smart meters, water meters, etc. Among them, products such as smart meters and water meters are updated less frequently.
In fact, since PHS withdrew from the network, the industry has realized that there will not be only one large-scale iteration of communication technology.
According to Fu Liang, the three major operators have basically determined the future network trend since the beginning of the 5G era: 4G foundation and 5G deep coverage. "But now, that strategy may have changed. In some places, the coverage of 5G is even better than 4G, and it is not certain whether 5G or 4G will be the foundation in the future, and whether 4G will be eliminated in a few years. Fu Liang said.
According to the economic situation of the communications industry from January to October 2023 recently released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as of the end of October, the total number of mobile users of the three basic telecommunications companies reached 172.6 billion households. Among them, 7 5G mobile** users5.4 billion households, accounting for 43 percent of mobile** users7%, accounting for an increase of 10 compared with the end of the previous year4 percentage points.
Chen Lei, senior marketing director of Qualcomm, also revealed at the pre-forum of the 2023 World 5G Conference held on December 5 that from a global perspective, 265 operators have deployed 5G commercial networks, and more than 275 operators are investing in the deployment of 5G technology. It is expected that by 2026, 5G smartphone shipments will exceed 6 billion units.
When iteration becomes a trend or even a rule, the industry urgently needs a set of resettlement measures that can be replicated.
In this regard, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also gave instructions in this reply.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology pointed out that the withdrawal of mobile communications from the network is not a simple "retreat", and it is necessary to improve user protection measures and fully protect the rights and interests of users before the withdrawal can be implemented. Enterprises must plan and inform as early as possible, and must have user protection measures and perfect user aftercare plans, and have the ability to provide better network coverage, stronger business capabilities and better service quality, so as to create conditions for users to be "willing to retreat" and "willing to retreat".
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also said that considering that the mobile communication network withdrawal involves many users and has a large social impact, it is necessary to make overall plans and reasonable promotions, give full play to the decisive role of the market, and strengthen the main responsibility of enterprises.
When it comes to how to resettle old users in the process of 2G and 3G network withdrawal, some industry insiders bluntly said that at present, more relevant measures at all levels are aimed at mid-to-high-end users, while how low-end users should maintain and transfer to the network is still lacking systematic arrangements at the public level.
In Fu Liang's view, the transparency of operators' decision-making is very important. "For example, operators can announce the decision to withdraw from the network six months or a certain time in advance, or terminate the access of new devices that do not meet the relevant requirements at an earlier time. ”
In addition to informing users of the "timetable" for decommissioning, Fu Liang also said that operators should also have channels to continue to provide services to users during the decommissioning process. For example, in the past, some local operators have taken measures to purchase contracts** to send 4G mobile phones to the door, and encourage and guide 2G and 3G users to withdraw from the network.
Wang Zhihua is a pseudonym in the article).
Journalists|Huang Hai, Xiong Jianan, Wang Dongsheng (Xi).EditLu Xiangyong, Chen Junjie, Du HengfengProofreading|Chen Keming
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