# 2G

2G refers to the second-generation of cellular network technology, which were rolled out globally starting in the early 1990s. The main differentiator to previous mobile telephone systems, retrospectively dubbed 1G, is that the radio signals of 2G networks are digital rather than analog, for communication between mobile devices and base stations. In addition to voice telephony, 2G also made possible the use of data services.
The most common 2G technology has been the GSM standard, which became the first globally adopted framework for mobile communications. Other 2G technologies include cdmaOne and the now-discontinued Digital AMPS (D-AMPS/TDMA), as well the Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) and Personal Handy-phone System (PHS) in Japan.
The transition to digital technology enabled the implementation of encryption for voice calls and data transmission, significantly improving the security of mobile communications while also increasing capacity and efficiency compared to earlier analog systems. 2G networks were primarily designed to support voice calls and Short Message Service (SMS), with later advancements such as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) enabling always-on packet data services, including email and limited internet access. 2G was succeeded by 3G technology, which provided higher data transfer rates and expanded mobile internet capabilities.

## History

In 1990, AT&T Bell Labs engineers Jesse Russell, Farhad Barzegar and Can A. Eryaman filed a patent for a digital mobile phone that supports the transmission of digital data. Their patent was cited several years later by Nokia and Motorola when they were developing 2G digital mobile phones.
2G was first commercially launched in 1991 by Radiolinja (now part of Elisa Oyj) in Finland in the form of GSM, which was defined by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) defined the cdmaOne (IS-95) 2G standard, with an eight to ten fold increase in voice call capacity compared to analog AMPS. The first deployment of cdmaOne was in 1995. In North America, Digital AMPS (IS-54 and IS-136) and cdmaOne (IS-95) were dominant, but GSM was also used.
Later 2G releases in the GSM space, often referred to as 2.5G and 2.75G, include General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE). GPRS allows 2G networks to achieve a theoretical maximum transfer speed of 40 kbit/s (5 kB/s). EDGE increases this capacity, providing a theoretical maximum transfer speed of 384 kbit/s (48 kB/s).
Three primary benefits of 2G networks over their 1G predecessors were:
* Digitally encrypted phone conversations, at least between the mobile phone and the cellular base station but not necessarily in the rest of the network.
* Significantly more efficient use of the radio frequency spectrum enabling more users per frequency band.
* Data services for mobile, starting with SMS text messages then expanding to Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).

## Evolution of GSM 2G
### 2.5G (GPRS)

2.5G ("second-and-a-half generation") refers to 2G systems that incorporate a packet-switched domain alongside the existing circuit-switched domain, most commonly implemented through General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). GPRS enables packet-based data transmission by dynamically allocating multiple timeslots to users, improving network efficiency. However, this does not inherently provide faster speeds, as similar techniques, such as timeslot bundling, are also employed in circuit-switched data services like High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HSCSD). Within GPRS-enabled 2G systems, the theoretical maximum transfer rate is 40 kbit/s (5 kB/s).

### 2.75G (EDGE)

2.75G refers to the evolution of GPRS networks into EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) networks, achieved through the introduction of 8PSK (8 Phase Shift Keying) encoding. While the symbol rate remained constant at 270.833 samples per second, the use of 8PSK allowed each symbol to carry three bits instead of one, significantly increasing data transmission efficiency. Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), also known as Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS) or IMT Single Carrier (IMT-SC), is a backward-compatible digital mobile phone technology built as an extension to standard GSM. First deployed in 2003 by AT&T in the United States, EDGE offers a theoretical maximum transfer speed of 384 kbit/s (48 kB/s).

### 2.875G (EDGE Evolution)

Evolved EDGE (also known as EDGE Evolution or 2.875G) is an enhancement of the EDGE mobile technology that was introduced as a late-stage upgrade to 2G networks. While EDGE was first deployed in the early 2000s as part of GSM networks, Evolved EDGE was launched much later, coinciding with the widespread adoption of 3G technologies such as HSPA and just before the emergence of 4G networks. This timing limited its practical application.
Evolved EDGE increased data throughput and reduced latencies (down to 80 ms) by utilizing improved modulation techniques, dual carrier support, dual antennas, and turbo codes. It achieved peak data rates of up to 1 Mbit/s, significantly enhancing network efficiency for operators that had not yet transitioned to 3G or 4G infrastructures. However, despite its technical improvements, Evolved EDGE was never widely deployed. By the time it became available, most network operators were focused on implementing more advanced technologies like UMTS and LTE. As of 2016, no commercial networks were reported to support Evolved EDGE.

## Phase-out

2G, understood as GSM and CdmaOne, has been superseded by newer technologies such as 3G (UMTS / CDMA2000), 4G (LTE / WiMAX) and 5G (5G NR). However, 2G networks were still available as of 2023 in most parts of the world, while notably excluding the majority of carriers in North America, East Asia, and Australasia.
Many modern LTE-enabled devices have the ability to fall back to 2G for phone calls, necessary especially in rural areas where later generations have not yet been implemented. In some places, its successor 3G is being shut down rather than 2G – Vodafone previously announced that it had switched off 3G across Europe in 2020 but still retains 2G as a fallback service. In the US T-Mobile shut down their 3G services while retaining their 2G GSM network.
Various carriers have made announcements that 2G technology in the United States, Japan, Australia, and other countries are in the process of being shut down, or have already shut down 2G services so that carriers can re-use the frequencies for newer technologies (e.g. 4G, 5G).
As a legacy protocol, 2G connectivity is considered insecure. Specifically, there exist well known methods to attack weaknesses in GSM since 2009 with practical use in crime. Attack routes on 2G CdmaOne were found later and remain less publicized.
Android 12 and later provide a network setting to disable 2G connectivity for the device. iOS 16 and later can disable 2G connectivity by enabling Lockdown Mode.

### Criticism

In some parts of the world, including the United Kingdom, 2G remains widely used for older feature phones and for internet of things (IoT) devices such as smart meters, eCall systems and vehicle trackers to avoid the high patent licensing cost of newer technologies. Terminating 2G services could leave vulnerable people who rely on 2G infrastructure unable to communicate even with emergency contacts, causing harm and possibly deaths.

### Past 2G networks

| Country | Status | Network | Shutdown date | Standard | Notes |
| Åland | | Ålcom | 2024 | GSM | 2G availability cannot be guaranteed after 1 Jan 2022, all stations are planned to be shut down in 2024. |
| Anguilla | | Digicel | active | GSM | 900 MHz: 5 MHz GSM + 5 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz: 5 MHz UMTS |
| Anguilla | | FLOW | 2024-04-22 | GSM | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | No Service | APUA | 2018-04-01 | GSM | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | No Service | Digicel | 2024-05-31 | GSM | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | No Service | FLOW | 2024-07-31 | GSM | |
| Aruba | partially unconfirmed | Digicel | 2024-06-30 | GSM | |
| Aruba | partially unconfirmed | SETAR | active | GSM | GSM-900 & GSM-1900 |
| Australia | No Service | Hutchison 3 | 2006-08-09 | cdmaOne | |
| Australia | No Service | Optus | 2017-08-01 | GSM | 2G shut down in WA and NT on 3 Apr 2017. |
| Australia | No Service | Telstra | 2008-04-28 | cdmaOne | |
| Australia | No Service | Telstra | 2016-12-01 | GSM | |
| Australia | No Service | Vodafone | 2018-06-14 | GSM | |
| Bahamas | No Service | Aliv | N/A | (no 2G) | |
| Bahamas | No Service | BTC | 2024-06-30 | GSM | |
| Bahrain | | Batelco | 2021-11-30 | GSM | |
| Barbados | partially unconfirmed | Digicel | 2025-03-31 | GSM | 900 MHz: 6 MHz GSM / 1800 MHz: 12 MHz GSM |
| Barbados | partially unconfirmed | FLOW | 2024-04-22 | GSM | |
| Belgium | | Orange | 2030 | GSM | |
| Belgium | | Telenet | 2027 | GSM | |
| Belgium | | Proximus | 2027 | GSM | |
| Bermuda | | Digicel | active | GSM | 1900 MHz: 15 MHz GSM + 15 MHz LTE |
| Bermuda | | One | active | GSM | 1900 MHz: 5 MHz GSM + 20 MHz LTE |
| Bonaire | partially unconfirmed | Digicel | 2025-03-31 | GSM | |
| Bonaire | partially unconfirmed | FLOW | 2024-04-22 | GSM | |
| British Virgin Islands | | CCT | active | GSM | 1900 MHz: 10 MHz GSM + 20 MHz LTE |
| British Virgin Islands | | Digicel | active | GSM | 1800 MHz: 15 MHz GSM 1900 MHz: 5 MHz GSM + 10 MHz UMTS |
| British Virgin Islands | | FLOW | 2024-04-22 | GSM | |
| Brunei | No Service | UNN | 2021-06-01 | GSM | National Wholesale Network used by DSTCom, Progresif and imagine. |
| Canada | | Bell | 2019-04-30 | cdmaOne | Shutdown of CDMA transmitters commenced in remote areas in 2017, followed by an official announcement in June 2018 that 2G devices will lose service soon. |
| Canada | | Rogers Wireless | TBD | GSM | 1900 MHz shutdown in Jun 2021. 850 MHz remains active. |
| Canada | | SaskTel | 2017-07-31 | cdmaOne | |
| Canada | | Telus Mobility | 2017-05-31 | cdmaOne | |
| Cayman Islands | partially unconfirmed | Digicel | 2020-07-01 | GSM | |
| Cayman Islands | partially unconfirmed | FLOW | 2024-04-22 | GSM | |
| China | | China Mobile | active | GSM | 900 MHz: 15 MHz GSM 1800 MHz: 25 MHz GSM |
| China | | China Telecom | 2025 | cdmaOne | Local shutdown commenced on 01 Jun 2020. CDMA2000 1xRTT, EV-DO Rev. A/B (3G) service also terminates. |
| China | | China Unicom | 2025 | GSM | Local shutdown commenced on 18 Apr 2018. |
| Chile | | Entel | 2024 Q3 | GSM | Local shutdown commenced on 22 Jul 2024 in the Arica and Parinacota Region. |
| Colombia | | Claro | 2023-02-23 | GSM | |
| Colombia | | Tigo | 2022-11-01 | GSM | |
| Curaçao | | Digicel | 2025-03-31 | GSM | |
| Curaçao | | FLOW | 2024-02-29 | GSM | |
| Dominica | partially unconfirmed | Digicel | 2027-03-31 | GSM | |
| Dominica | partially unconfirmed | FLOW | 2024-03-?? | GSM | |
| France | | Bouygues | 2026-12-31 | GSM | |
| France | | Orange | 2026-09 | GSM | |
| France | | SFR | 2026 | GSM | |
| Germany | | Deutsche Telekom | 2028-06-30 | GSM | |
| Germany | | Vodafone | 2030-12-31 | GSM | |
| Germany | | Telefónica (O$_2$) | TBD | GSM | |
| Grenada | unconfirmed | Digicel | 2024-03-31 | GSM | |
| Grenada | unconfirmed | FLOW | 2024-04-22 | GSM | |
| Guam | unconfirmed | GTA Teleguam | ? | GSM | |
| Hong Kong | | 3 | 2008-11-20 | cdmaOne | Shut down due to license expiry. Government originally did not allow the license to be renewed due to unpopularity, however the government later reversed the decision and held an auction for CDMA2000 service, which PCCW-HKT won the auction and provided CDMA2000 service immediately after 3's license expiry. |
| Hong Kong | | 3 | 2021-09-30 | GSM | |
| Hong Kong | | CMHK | active | GSM | 1800 MHz only |
| Hong Kong | | CSL | 2005 | D-AMPS | Service previously provided by Pacific Link, which subsequently merged into CSL. Shut down due to license expiry. Government did not allow the license to be renewed due to unpopularity. |
| Hong Kong | | CSL | 2017-10-31 | cdmaOne | Service previously provided by PCCW. After acquisition of CSL by HKT, its mobile business PCCW Mobile was merged into CSL. No service for local customers, only served incoming roaming tourists. CDMA2000 1xRTT, EV-DO Rev. A (3G) service has also terminated. |
| Hong Kong | | CSL | 2024-11-08 | GSM | |
| Hong Kong | | SmarTone | 2022-10-14 | GSM | |
| Iceland | | Nova | 2025-01-28 | GSM | |
| Iceland | | Síminn | 2025 Q4 | GSM | |
| Iceland | | Vodafone | Mid 2025 | GSM | |
| Israel | | Hot Mobile | 2019-12-31 | iDEN | |
| Israel | | | 2025 | GSM | Per government statement. |
| Jamaica | No Service | Digicel | 2024-08-31 | GSM | |
| Jamaica | No Service | FLOW | 2024-04-15 | GSM | |
| Japan | No Service | au KDDI | 2012-07-22 | cdmaOne | |
| Japan | No Service | NTT Docomo | 2012-03-31 | PDC | |
| Japan | No Service | Softbank | 2010-03-31 | PDC | |
| Jordan | | Umniah | 2021-03-11 | GSM | |
| Luxembourg | | Orange | 2030 | GSM | |
| Macau | No Service | CTM | 2019-08-01 | GSM | Service for local customers terminated on 4 Jun 2015, but remained for roaming users. |
| Macau | No Service | 3 | 2019-08-01 | GSM | Service for local customers terminated on 4 Jun 2015, but remained for roaming users. |
| Macau | No Service | SmarTone | 2019-08-01 | GSM | Service for local customers terminated on 4 Jun 2015, but remained for roaming users. |
| Mexico | | AT&T | 2019-09-01 | GSM | Local shutdown commenced in Q1 2019. |
| Mexico | | Movistar | 2021-01-01 | GSM | |
| Montserrat | unconfirmed | Digicel | ? | GSM | |
| Montserrat | unconfirmed | FLOW | 2024-04-22 | GSM | |
| Netherlands | | KPN | 2025-12-01 | GSM | |
| Netherlands | | T-Mobile | 2021-06-01 / 2023-11-15 (IoT) | GSM | |
| New Caledonia | | OPT-NC | 2025 | GSM | Shutdown commenced in 2022. |
| New Zealand | | 2degrees | 2018-03-15 | GSM | |
| New Zealand | | Spark | 2012-07-31 | cdmaOne | |
| Norway | | Telenor | 2027 | GSM | |
| Norway | | Telia | 2025 | GSM | |
| Panama | | Digicel | 2022-06-30 | GSM | Complete shutdown of operations and market exit. |
| Peru | | Bitel | N/A | (no 2G) | |
| Poland | | Orange | 2030 | GSM | |
| Romania | | Orange | 2030 | GSM | |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | | Digicel | 2027-03-31 | GSM | |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | | FLOW | 2024-04-22 | GSM | |
| Saint Lucia | partially unconfirmed | Digicel | 2027-03-31 | GSM | |
| Saint Lucia | partially unconfirmed | FLOW | 2024-04-22 | GSM | |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | | Digicel | 2027-03-31 | GSM | |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | | FLOW | 2023-09-30 | GSM | |
| Singapore | No Service | M1 | 2017-04-18 | GSM | |
| Singapore | No Service | Singtel | 2017-04-18 | GSM | |
| Singapore | No Service | StarHub | 2017-04-18 | GSM | |
| Sint Maarten Saba Sint Eustatius | No Service | TelCell | 2019-01-01 | GSM | |
| Sint Maarten Saba Sint Eustatius | No Service | FLOW (UTS) | 2017-09-26 | GSM | |
| Slovakia | | Orange | 2030 | GSM | |
| South Africa | | | TBD | GSM | Per government statement. |
| South Korea | No Service | KT | 2012-03-19 | cdmaOne | CDMA2000 1xRTT, EV-DO Rel. 0 (3G) service has also terminated. |
| South Korea | No Service | LG Uplus | 2021-06-30 | cdmaOne | CDMA2000 1xRTT, EV-DO Rev. A/B (3G) service has also terminated. |
| South Korea | No Service | SK Telecom | 2020-07-27 | cdmaOne | CDMA2000 1xRTT, EV-DO Rel. 0 (3G) service has also terminated. |
| Spain | | Orange | 2030 | GSM | |
| Sweden | | Net4Mobility (Telenor/Tele2) | 2025-12-31 | GSM | 2G network will be shut down by the end of 2025. |
| Sweden | | Telia | 2027 | GSM | Shutdown pushed back from 2025 to 2027. |
| Switzerland | No Service | Salt | 2020-12-31 | GSM | Shutdown commenced on 1 Jul 2020. A few single 2G-only sites remained until Sep 2023 to preserve CSFB functionality. |
| Switzerland | No Service | Sunrise | 2023-01-03 | GSM | With the introduction of S-RAN in 2018 phaseout was previously postponed to 2022. |
| Switzerland | No Service | Swisscom | 2021-04-07 | GSM | Official shutdown on 31 Dec 2020 (guaranteed availability). |
| Taiwan | No Service | Chunghwa Telecom | 2017-06-30 | GSM | |
| Taiwan | No Service | FarEasTone | 2017-06-30 | GSM | |
| Taiwan | No Service | Taiwan Mobile | 2017-06-30 | GSM | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | | Digicel | 2024-12-31 | GSM | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | | bmobile (TSTT) | TBD | GSM | 850 MHz: 2.5 MHz GSM + 5 MHz UMTS |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | | Digicel | 2025-06-30 | GSM | 900 MHz: 9.8 MHz GSM |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | | FLOW | 2024-04-22 | GSM | |
| United Arab Emirates | No Service | Du | 2023-12-31 | GSM | |
| United Arab Emirates | No Service | Etisalat | 2023-12-31 | GSM | |
| United Kingdom | | | 2033 | GSM | Per government statement on confirmation by mobile providers. |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | AT&T | 2008-02-18 | D-AMPS | TDMA (D-AMPS) on 1900 MHz shut down on 15 July 2007. |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | AT&T | 2017-01-01 | GSM | |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | Cellcom (US only) | 2023-12-01 | cdmaOne | CDMA2000 1xRTT, EV-DO Rev. A (3G) service has also terminated. |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | Claro (PR only) | 2028-12-31 | GSM | |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | Commnet Wireless (Choice) (US only) | 2022-12-31 | cdmaOne | CDMA2000 1xRTT, EV-DO Rev. A (3G) service has also terminated. |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | Copper Valley Wireless | 2022-09-30 | cdmaOne | CDMA2000 1xRTT, EV-DO Rev. A (3G) service has also terminated. |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | Edge Wireless | 2007-06-30 | D-AMPS | |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | T-Mobile | 2025 | GSM | Shutdown commenced on 9 Feb 2025. |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | T-Mobile (Sprint) | 2022-05-31 | cdmaOne | CDMA2000 1xRTT, EV-DO Rev. A (3G) service has also terminated. Shutdown commenced on 31 Mar 2022. |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | UScellular (US only) | 2009-02 | D-AMPS | |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | UScellular (US only) | 2024-01-14 | cdmaOne | CDMA2000 1xRTT, EV-DO Rev. A (3G) service has also terminated. |
| United States Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands | | Verizon (US only) | 2022-12-31 | cdmaOne | CDMA2000 1xRTT, EV-DO Rev. A (3G) service has also terminated. |
| Venezuela | | Digitel | 2025 | GSM | Shutdown commenced in May 2021. |
| Venezuela | | Movilnet | 2025 | GSM | |
| Venezuela | | Movistar | 2025 | GSM | Shutdown commenced on 01 Jul 2022. |
| Vietnam | No Service | Gmobile | 2024-10-16 | GSM | per government regulation |
| Vietnam | No Service | Mobifone | 2024-10-16 | GSM | per government regulation |
| Vietnam | No Service | Vietnamobile | N/A | (no 2G) | |
| Vietnam | No Service | Viettel | 2024-10-16 | GSM | per government regulation |
| Vietnam | No Service | Vinaphone | 2024-10-16 | GSM | per government regulation |