Econet Wireless Zimbabwe plans to switch off its 3G network by the end of December 2027, followed by a phased retirement of 2G as it expands its 4G and 5G networks.
Econet Chief Executive Officer Douglas Mboweni said most customers had already migrated to newer technologies.
“Our plan is to shut down 3G first, by the end of December 2027,” said Mboweni. “Only a small proportion of our customers remain on 3G, as most are now using 4G and 5G. We are encouraging those still on the older technology to migrate to the higher-speed technologies.”
Econet will retain 2G for longer because it remains widely used in rural areas, particularly by customers using basic feature phones.
“We must give rural customers more time to replace their phones while supporting them with affordable handsets and flexible payment terms,” Dr Mboweni said. “We will first upgrade network coverage and then help customers in rural communities migrate to 4G as the minimum standard. That work is already underway.”
The company said retiring 2G and 3G would free spectrum for 4G and 5G, allowing it to expand capacity and improve data speeds. Econet has ordered much of the equipment required for the upgrade and is expanding its 4G and 5G infrastructure. It is also developing an independent power system to improve network resilience amid electricity supply challenges. Mboweni said the broader network modernisation programme would require annual investment running into hundreds of millions of dollars.
“As part of the transition, we are urging independent handset suppliers to stop selling new devices limited to 2G and 3G only, and instead focus on 4G and 5G-compatible models,” he said.
Econet is also targeting so-called grey handsets — devices marketed as smartphones that do not meet their advertised technical specifications and can cause connectivity problems. The company has developed a system to detect such devices when they connect to its network. Customers will be alerted when affected handsets are identified, while relevant authorities will also be notified.
Econet’s planned retirement of 3G is part of a global transition towards newer mobile technologies, with operators increasingly repurposing spectrum and network resources for faster and more advanced 4G and 5G services while seeking to minimise disruption to customers.
In Africa, Rwanda has set June 30, 2027, as the date for its nationwide 3G switch-off, while South Africa has established a December 31, 2027, deadline for the transition. Several European countries moved earlier. Germany and the Czech Republic completed their 3G shutdowns in 2021, while the United Kingdom phased out the technology by early 2025 and is preparing to retire 2G between 2029 and 2033.
Only this week, Ukrainian telecommunications operator Kyivstar announced that it had completed the migration of more than one million subscribers from 3G to 4G, freeing additional spectrum capacity for the expansion of its 4G network.
