On February 11, 51CTO network reported that China Mobile has begun to gradually withdraw its 2G network in Chongqing, and since March 1, the 2G function of new users will be restricted, mainly in terms of SMS and voice packages. The low-speed scenario in the newly signed contract after March 18 is limited to the NB-IoT/Cat.1 package.
2G doesn't seem economical enough today. The number of 2G users is getting smaller and smaller, and operators will undoubtedly pay a very high cost to provide 2G service support for such a small number of users. Maintaining a 2G network cannot be a selling point, which becomes a tasteless project that has to be maintained. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has previously issued a document proposing to retire the 2G network.
In addition, 2G is a fairly early communication service, mobile phones in the data transmission with the base station, the encryption level is very weak, which will be easily detected and eavesdropped by hackers, information security has become a hidden danger, but also easy to breed telecommunications fraud.
2G occupies the gold 800MHz-900MHz frequency band, and after the 2G network is cleared, this frequency band can be ceded to 5G networks. Take the 700MHz band of the Industrial Information Technology part to China Radio and Television, which belongs to the low-frequency 5G band, and only needs one-tenth of the 5G base station coverage of the high-frequency band to achieve the same signal coverage. 800MHz-900MHz is also a high-quality low-frequency band, which may be divided into telecom and Unicom.
In terms of comprehensive strength, China Mobile is the strongest, he has built an N28 band with China Radio and Television, and now has a more mature network coverage. At this stage, the 5G coverage and comprehensive experience are much more than those of Telecom and China Unicom. Before the 5G band cross-network roaming, having a high-quality frequency band is undoubtedly a big advantage.
In addition, there are already alternatives to 2G. 2G is more responsible for some low-speed data transmission, in this regard NB-IoT is a good alternative, it has low power consumption, wide coverage, low cost characteristics, more suitable for Internet of Things devices than 2G.
For equipment with rate and latency requirements, Cat.1 is a good alternative, it has millisecond-level latency, but also supports high-speed data transmission, suitable for some financial payments, high-precision industrial control and other equipment.