AT&T Shuts Down its 3G Network Tuesday

AT&T announced last year that it will sunset its 3G network in February 2022 without giving customers an exact shutdown date. Early this week, the carrier confirmed that February 22 is the day when its 3G network will be discontinued and all phones that don’t support at least 4G LTE and HD Voice will stop working.

There are a bunch of phones that will stop working once the carrier shuts down its 3G network, and to confuse customers even more, AT&T does not seem to support different versions of the same phone. The newest Galaxy S22 Ultra and its sidekicks won’t be having such problems. The Galaxy S20 models G981U and G981U1 will continue to work on the AT&T network, whereas the Galaxy S20 models G981F, G981N, and G9810 will no longer work.

Make sure to go to Settings, tap About Phone/About Device and check your phone’s model name and number to learn whether or not it will still work after February 22, 2022. If you own an Apple device, things are much simpler, as everything from iPhone 6 and up will work on the  network after the carrier phases out its 3G network.AT&T shuts down its 3G network, only phones and devices that support at least 4G LTE and HD Voice will work on the carrier’s network.

If your phone is not on the supported list, you might want to upgrade your phone online or simply make an appointment at one of AT&T stores.Many  customers received a letter about getting their incompatible 3G phones replaced for free.Some of them already received those phones, while other are still waiting for what they were promised. However, the general consensus is that these are just temporary replacements, not meant to be used as daily drivers for too long.