Hold AT&T responsible: AT&T is shutting down its 3G network: Talking Tech podcast

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Hey there listeners, it’s Brett Molina. Welcome back to Talking Tech. AT&T starting today is taking the first step toward the end of 3G service. On Tuesday, the wireless carrier is shutting down its 3G network, which means if you have an older phone that runs on 3G or you have other devices that run on 3G, it’s very likely they’re not going to work. I write about this in a story that you can read on tech.usatoday.com. You have probably heard me talk about this before. We wrote about this a while back, but in light of the fact that AT&T is going to be shutting down today, I think now is a good time just as a reminder of what to expect.

Obviously the big reason 5G is going away is… Excuse me, 3G is going away. I’m getting my G’s confused. The big reason 3G is going away is because obviously our phones do so much more than just send text messages or we use them for checking email or making phone calls. They do so much more and as a result, a lot of the wires carriers are trying to update their networks so that they can offer even more. So we know about AT&T, they’re shutting down on February 22nd. So does that mean your 3G phone is going to work on 5g? No. If you have a 3G phone or you have a phone that doesn’t support HD voice calls, then it is not going to work. So basically it won’t receive calls, it won’t get text messages. Any of those services, even 911, because with older phones, if you didn’t have a plan, they could still dial 911 in case of an emergency.