Lately, the terms of the Telekom’s mobile phone agreements contain a passage in which the company reserves the right to switch off the UMTS network from the end of 2020. This passage provided some turmoil and some observers see the announced exit from 3G technology.
In the new terms and conditions, it is stated in section 5.3: “The respective mobile radio technology available locally (geographically) can be viewed under telekom.de/netzausbau. The network technology 3G (UMTS – Universal Mobile Telecommunications System and HSPA – High Speed Packet Access) listed there is available in Telekom’s mobile network only until 31.12.2020, subject to a conditional extension. ”
According to Telekom spokesman Markus Jodl, this formulation is primarily a legal security measure (heise online). A decision has not yet been made.
Our view: you have to wait and see. Hardware manufacturers will follow the network operators in the new development of their devices. As we work with the market leaders, we will always have suitable hardware available.
But: The useful life of industrial MDEs can be shortened by such network operator decisions. Predictability is becoming increasingly difficult due to such technology changes. Please contact us in such cases, we will find suitable exchange concepts together with our suppliers.
