Saying goodbye to legacy networks, but what's next for IoT?

The pace of 2G/3G network shutdowns is increasing as operators look to optimise their network operations and costs, and to refarm spectrum for 4G and 5G. Most recently, Telefónica Deutschland (O2) announced it is accelerating the shutdown of its 3G network in various regions of Germany. Based on announced plans from operators, at least 64 networks will be shut down between 2021 and 2025. In fact, 2021 is set to be the year with the highest number of 2G and 3G network shutdowns so far. While migrating voice users onto 4G and 5G networks can be achieved more easily via marketing and awareness campaigns, M2M/IoT devices are another matter. Oftentimes these devices have a long device lifecycle and are in hard-to-reach locations, making the upgrade process troublesome.