South Africa's 3G networks could be switched off within 12 to 24 months, Vodacom Group chief technology officer Dejan Kastelic told TechCentral on 28 October, but only if the operators coordinate. "Potentially in the next 12-24 months, we will be in a good position in South Africa," he said. Vodacom would like to switch off 3G in all its markets, not only South Africa.
Why 3G goes before 2G
The reason is spectrum. Freeing the frequencies that carry 3G would let Vodacom reuse them for 4G, which moves more traffic in the same bandwidth. Most remaining 3G phones would fall back to 2G when 3G goes dark, and Vodacom expects those users to need six to 12 months to move on to 4G, Kastelic said.
2G will last several years longer, because it still serves feature phones and machine-to-machine devices such as trackers. Vodacom spokesman Byron Kennedy told TechCentral in May that "most 3G devices are capable of falling back to the 2G network", and Cell C said then that 2G supports basic voice and SMS at a very affordable device price point. Kastelic has argued for this order since at least December 2023, when he told reporters at Africa Tech Festival that "3G should be the one technology to be sunsetted first, not the 2G", ITWeb reported.
The plan, and the catch
Kastelic wants operators to agree on a switch-off date and announce it a year ahead, run trade-in promotions for old phones in the meantime, and work with government on measures such as banning imports of 3G devices and tax breaks on 4G handsets. Only once 3G is off would Vodacom assess who is left on 2G and what subsidies they need.
The catch is competition. An operator that switches off first risks losing its remaining 3G customers to rivals, which could keep 3G running, subsidise those customers and switch off later.
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- December 2023: Kastelic says 3G, not 2G, should be switched off first, and that Vodacom is discussing timelines and import duties with regulators (ITWeb).
- November 2024: Communications minister Solly Malatsi says the switch-off should be market-led, warning that a fixed date could leave "millions and millions of South Africans – most of whom are poor" behind.
- 2025: Treasury scraps the luxury excise duty on smartphones costing R2,500 or less, announced in February and in force from April.
- May 2025: MTN launches a R99 subsidised 4G phone aimed at 1.2 million customers, to move them off legacy networks (TechCentral).
- July 2025: The Department of Communications drops the 31 December 2027 deadline set by former minister Mondli Gungubele, leaving timing to operators.
- October 2026: Kastelic puts a 12 to 24 month window on a 3G switch-off.
Price is still the barrier. A report commissioned by the Development Bank of Southern Africa found that a decently capable 4G smartphone costs more than 16% of the basic minimum wage, about R800, TechCentral reported in May. Vodacom launched a R249 4G smartphone in September 2024.
What is still unknown
- Whether MTN, Cell C and Telkom will agree to a shared date.
- How many 3G-only users there are across all networks, not just Vodacom's.
- Whether government will back import bans or tax breaks on 4G phones, and who pays for subsidies.
