4G connections to improve as DNA shuts down rest of its 3G network – the Shared Network areas in Eastern and Northern Finland follow later this year

The shutdown schedule was announced already in June 2023. DNA announced the upcoming shutdown of the 3G network for the first time back in 2021. In 2023, the 3G network was successfully shut down in Hyvinkää in May, in Kanta-Häme and Päijät-Häme in October and in Uusimaa (excluding the Helsinki Metropolitan Area) and Southwest Finland in November.

”After January, DNA's own 3G network has been completely switched off. If all goes as expected, a few weeks after the shutdown of 3G, we will transfer the now vacant frequencies over to 4G technology, which will improve the user experience in the 4G network. As the utilisation rate of the 3G network is very low today, most of our mobile customers are likely to see this measure solely in a positive light. In Eastern and Northern Finland, i.e. the areas of the Finnish Shared Network, the 3G network will be shut down later this year,” says Jarkko Laari, VP of Radio Networks at DNA.

DNA will shut down its 3G networks in Central Finland, Pirkanmaa and Satakunta on Tuesday, 9 January, at dawn, and in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia on Thursday, 25 January, at dawn.

Broadly speaking, the shutdown of the 3G network affects all services based on 3G technology in DNA’s network. Discontinued services will mainly be replaced by 4G and 5G solutions. Very old devices that are not compatible with 4G or 5G technology typically switch to using the 2G network. If the device supports VoLTE, or Voice over LTE, calls will continue to be made over the 4G network. If the phone does not support VoLTE, calls will be transferred to the 2G network after the 3G network has been shut down. All DNA 4G and 5G phone plans support VoLTE calls.

Less than one percent of mobile data on 3G

The use of the 3G network has decreased significantly in recent years. The 3G network accounts for well under 1% of mobile data used by DNA’s customers. For the majority of customers, the shutdown of the 3G network will mainly appear as an improvement in the 4G network as the 3G frequencies can be transferred over to be used by newer network technologies. At the same time, resources will be freed up for the development of modern technologies.

Compared to the old technology, the 4G and 5G networks offer significantly more capacity, greater reliability and faster speeds for the ever-growing demand in mobile networks. The new network technology and its base stations are also significantly more energy-efficient than 3G in relation to the amount of data transferred. DNA’s 4G network covers nearly 100% of Finland’s residents. Correspondingly, the population coverage of the 5G network in December 2023 was 93%, which is more than five million people.

When travelling abroad, it is worth noting that 3G networks are being and have been shut down all over the world. In some countries, 2G networks are also shut down or being phased out. In the United States, for example, many carriers only use 4G and 5G networks. If you are planning on travelling to the United States, your phone must support VoLTE roaming in order to make calls.

We recommend verifying that old devices will work

Old devices that are not compatible with 4G or 5G technology will typically switch to using 2G once the 3G network is shut down. This will likely mean a significant slowdown in data transfer speed. However, the slowdown is not necessarily noticeable in devices that transfer very little data, such as trail cameras.

“Now is a good time to make sure that your own device supports 4G or 5G technology. Almost all mobile devices that are not compatible with 4G are old models, typically at least 5–10 years old. In fact, in some cases of using the 3G network, the customer may have accidentally locked their phone in 3G mode. Therefore, if the 3G symbol is still consistently shown on the screen of your modern phone, it is worth checking the phone’s settings,” Laari notes.

If you are unsure about whether a device is compatible with 3G or 4G, look for the 4G icon on the device, the user manual or device display. If you see one, you can almost certainly assume that the device is compatible with 4G. The information can also be found by typing the device model in a search engine. Detailed instructions on checking the model number can be found on DNA’s support page for the shutdown of the 3G network.

This is how the shutdown of the 3G network will proceed

Done in October 2023:

• Kanta-Häme (has been shut down)
• Päijät-Häme (has been shut down)

Done in November 2023:

• Uusimaa, except the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (has been shut down)
• Southwest Finland (has been shut down)

During January 2024:

• Helsinki Metropolitan Area (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen)
• South Ostrobothnia
• Central Ostrobothnia
• Central Finland
• Pirkanmaa
• Ostrobothnia
• Satakunta

In eastern and northern Finland, the mobile networks used by DNA are designed, implemented and maintained by Finnish Shared Network, a joint network company established by DNA and Telia in 2014. The shutdown of Shared Network’s 3G network in eastern and northern Finland will take place during 2024. Finnish Shared Network announced a more detailed schedule in October 2023.

Media enquiries:

Jarkko Laari, VP, Radio Networks, DNA Plc, tel. +358 (0)44 044 4949, jarkko.laari@dna.fi

DNA Corporate Communications, tel. +358 44 044 8000, communications@dna.fi

DNA’s support page for 3G shutdown (in Finnish): https://www.dna.fi/3g