Vodacom believes South Africa could be ready to switch off its 3G networks within 12 to 24 months. Group chief technology officer Dejan Kastelic said no operator would want to do it alone.
Kastelic told TechCentral in an interview on Wednesday that 3G handsets now make up slightly below 10% of devices on Vodacom’s South African network. These phones cannot use the newer 4G system.
“We would be super keen to switch off 3G in all of the markets, not only South Africa,” Kastelic told TechCentral. “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.”
He described the share of 3G devices as “a good number”.
The main reason for the switch off is spectrum. Turning off 3G would free up frequencies that Vodacom could reuse for 4G. According to TechCentral, 4G carries more traffic over the same bandwidth.
Kastelic said the bigger problem is competition between the networks. He said an operator that switches off first risks losing its remaining 3G customers to a rival.
“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.
He wants the operators to agree on one date and announce it a year ahead. During that year, they would run promotions to get customers to trade in old phones. He said the goal is that “by the time the date comes, all of us are in the same position”.
Kastelic said operators usually work with regulators and government on extra measures. These include stopping imports of 3G devices and offering tax benefits on 4G handsets.
South Africa has already taken one such step. Treasury removed the 9% luxury excise duty on smartphones costing less than R2 500 from April 2025.
There is no longer a government deadline for switching off older mobile technologies. In November 2024, Communications Minister Solly Malatsi said the switch off should be led by the market.
Malatsi warned that a forced date could leave behind “millions and millions of South Africans”. His department formally dropped the 31 December 2027 deadline in July 2025. That left the timing up to the operators.
Vodacom said in May that it expected 3G to go before 2G. Kastelic expects 2G to stay on for several years longer than 3G. It still serves feature phones and machine to machine devices.
“Let’s first resolve 3G,” he said. Once 3G is off, most 3G phones will fall back to 2G. Kastelic expects to give those users six to 12 months to move straight to 4G.
After that, Vodacom will look at who is still left on 2G, whether machines or people using feature phones. It will then decide what investment and subsidies are needed to move them.
MTN has taken a similar approach to the cost problem. In 2025, it began handing out R99 4G smartphones to long-standing prepaid customers who could not afford to upgrade.
Source: this article is based on reporting by TechCentral. Image: TechCentral. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.