Vodacom, the South African mobile communications company, says it is ready to switch off its 3G network in South Africa within the next 12 to 24 months if other telecom operators agree to coordinate the move.
Dejan Kastelic, Vodacom Group’s chief technology officer, disclosed this in an interview with TechCentral, saying 3G handsets account for “slightly below 10%” of devices on Vodacom’s South African network.
“We would be super keen to switch off 3G in all of the markets, not only South Africa,” Kastelic said on Wednesday. “We do see that, potentially in the next 12-24 months, we will be in a good position in South Africa to actually do the shutdown, but it’s something we will need to discuss with other involved parties to co-ordinate.”
The proposed shutdown is part of a wider shift in how telecom operators build and manage their networks. As customers consume more mobile data, companies are investing in 4G and 5G while reconsidering how much capacity they need to maintain older technologies. However, moving away from 3G also raises questions about competition, network coverage and the cost of replacing older devices.
Why Vodacom is hesitant about switching off 3G
According to Kastelic, competition is the major obstacle preventing a complete 3G shutdown. An operator that switches off its network before competitors risks losing customers who still rely on 3G connectivity.
“If you’re the first one, the second one will wait for a while, get all of those customers onto its 3G network, subsidise them and only then shut down,” he said.
However, the industry has been moving towards a gradual phase-out of the technology.
For instance, MTN South Africa has begun reducing or removing 3G capacity in selected areas as it redirects spectrum towards 4G and 5G.
MTN Group is also planning a broader transition across some of its markets. At its Capital Markets Day in June, Selorm Adadevoh, the group’s chief commercial, strategy and transformation officer, said MTN was working towards shutting down some 3G networks before 2030. He explained that the company needed to work with regulators and migrate remaining 3G users to 4G before reallocating the spectrum.
“The focus today for us is really 3G shutdown,” Adadevoh said at the time.
The announcement does not mean MTN has confirmed a universal shutdown date of 2030. Its plan covers selected markets across the group, with the timing dependent on local regulatory requirements, network readiness and the number of customers still relying on 3G.
The declining use of 3G across African markets helps explain why operators are increasingly considering its retirement and reallocating the spectrum to newer technologies.
For instance, in 2015, 3G accounted for between 45% and 50% of mobile connections in Nigeria. However, this had fallen to 5.3% by April 2026, according to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Meanwhile, 4G accounted for 54.41% of mobile connections in the country.
4G and 5G investments are changing network priorities
The reason operators want to retire 3G is partly related to spectrum. Mobile networks use radio frequencies to carry calls and data. When an operator shuts down an older network, it can reallocate those frequencies to 4G, which can carry more data over the same bandwidth.
This gives operators another way to increase network capacity as demand for mobile internet grows. Rather than continuing to maintain separate networks for different generations of technology, they can direct more resources towards the services customers increasingly use.
- Vodacom’s investment plans reflect that priority. The company has committed R1 billion to expanding 5G and upgrading telecommunications infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal during the 2027 financial year, following an investment of R1.1 billion in the province during the previous financial year.
In August, TechMedia Africa reported that Comsol has secured a multibillion-rand investment to build a national wholesale 5G broadband network in South Africa.
MTN is also pursuing newer network opportunities in other markets. In Ghana, the government reopened competition for 5G licences after cancelling the exclusive wholesale model previously held by Next Gen Infraco (NGIC). MTN Ghana and Telecel Group entered the bidding process and were granted permits.
