The French Federation of Elevators (Fédération des Ascenseurs) has called for the planned shutdown of 2G and 3G communications to be slowed down. According to Datacenter Dynamics, networks scheduled to be shut down by 2029 are still actively used by elevator manufacturers.
Representatives of the federation warn that the relevant industry is not yet ready for such radical changes. Meanwhile, French telecom operators Bouygues Telecom and Altice intend to “retire” 2G by 2026, and Orange expects to turn off the second generation network as early as next year. The company intends to turn off its 3G networks by 2029.
Such plans cause criticism among many equipment operators who still use their 2G and 3G networks. Approximately half of the country’s elevators depend on such communication networks. The Fédération des Ascenseurs said that about 232 thousand 2G systems and another 58 thousand 3G systems will have to be replaced. The network is used in elevators, among other things, to provide communication with emergency services.
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2G is older than 3G, but its use is even wider, and not only in the markets of mobile communications and elevator services. For example, many smart meters and many other IoT devices use the legacy network. Back in 2022, experts warned that the main victim of a 2G shutdown would be the metering industry. A huge number of similar devices have been deployed in the last 20–25 years.
The problem of outdated but still relevant infrastructure is not limited to France. For example, in response to accusations of insufficiently active recycling of lead-sheathed cables, US telecom operators also stated that many of them are still actively used, including by emergency services.