Singapore plans to pull the plug on 2G Services from April 2017

In line with the country's vision to move up the technological ladder of fast paced 3G and 4G communications, Singapore's Singtel, Starhub and M1 are set to crease its legacy 2G communication driven services by April 2017.

M1, Singtel and StarHub will cease the provision of all 2G services in Singapore with effect from 1 April, 2017. This will apply to 2G voice, messaging and data services.

Mobile networks have evolved since the launch of 2G service in 1994, and Singapore’s extensive modern 3G and 4G mobile networks has led to high smartphone ownership and usage rates. To cater for consumers’ increased demand for mobile data and faster access speeds, the spectrum currently used for 2G will be used to provide faster, more advanced 3G and 4G services.

In the last few years, mobile operators have been conducting outreach programmes to encourage customers to migrate to newer networks. Today, the majority of mobile customers are on 3G and 4G networks; only an extremely small percentage of customers remain on 2G-only mobile devices. The mobile operators will continue to reach out to affected 2G users through various channels as relevant, including SMS, calls and posters at their retail outlets, in the run-up to the 2G network closure.

A wide range of 3G and 4G handsets is also available at different price points to enable customers to migrate to newer networks conveniently. Customers on 2G-only handsets will need only to place their SIM cards into a 3G or 4G device to enjoy 3G/4G service immediately, and those using 3G and 4G handsets will not be affected.