The gradual shutdown of 2G and 3G networks is leaving a growing number of users in a confusing situation when they travel: the phone shows 4G coverage and browses without a hitch, but conventional calls won’t go through. The reason is that, without those networks, roaming voice now depends on VoLTE, and VoLTE roaming requires a compatible handset, support at both the home carrier and the visited one, and a specific agreement between the two. Joan Aniorte, technology director at Aire, explained this in a technical article, and Telefonos.es expanded on it from the user’s point of view.
The 2G and 3G shutdown’s impact on roaming voice, in 30 seconds
- The problem: without 2G or 3G, phones can no longer fall back to those networks to place calls, so roaming voice now depends on VoLTE.
- The condition: it requires a compatible handset, support at both carriers, and a VoLTE roaming agreement between them.
- The timeline: MasOrange will shut down 3G by the end of 2027 and 2G by the end of 2030; Vodafone has already closed its 3G network.
- The risk: EENA and the European Commission warn of failures in 112 emergency calls and in vehicles’ eCall systems.
This isn’t a local phenomenon. According to the GSA report cited by Aire, with data as of June 2026, there are 313 2G and 3G network shutdowns completed, underway, or planned across 89 countries and territories, and Europe accounts for 43% of that activity. For a company with traveling staff, fleets, or connected devices, that turns a technical carrier issue into a matter of service continuity.
From CSFB to IMS: what changes in the network
LTE was designed as a data network. For years, voice calls on 4G phones were handled through CSFB (Circuit Switched Fallback): when placing or receiving a call, the handset would drop down to the circuit-switched 2G or 3G network and return to 4G once the call ended. It was a transitional fix that worked fine as long as that backup network existed. Once it’s gone, voice has to travel over VoLTE, which carries it as IP packets over the 4G network and manages it through IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem).
On a carrier’s own network, the operator controls every piece. In roaming, it doesn’t. As Aniorte explains, data roaming and VoLTE roaming are separate services, and a carrier having a data agreement with another doesn’t mean it has one for voice over 4G. That’s why someone can have an internet connection and have a WhatsApp call work, since it travels as data, while a conventional call fails. 5G doesn’t solve this on its own either: depending on the rollout, voice may run over VoNR or fall back on VoLTE again. On top of that there are the handsets: older phones, imported devices, or phones with incomplete carrier configurations may fail to activate VoLTE on certain networks even when the hardware supports it.
The timeline in Spain, and what it means for IoT
Spain is shutting down 3G first and keeping 2G around longer. Vodafone was the first carrier to close its 3G network: the final schedule published by BandaAncha.eu ended on October 29, 2024, after an earlier attempt that had to be halted because Lowi and the mobile virtual network operators running on its network didn’t have VoLTE. It’s a useful precedent: the bottleneck wasn’t in the network itself, but in the fact that not everyone using it could carry voice over 4G. MasOrange announced in November 2025 that 3G will stop operating on December 31, 2027, and that 2G will continue until December 31, 2030, while Movistar has begun shutting down 3G in pilot municipalities.
2G lasting until 2030 isn’t a coincidence. Alarms, utility meters, old card readers, elevators, and fleet M2M modems still depend on that network, many of which only speak GPRS. For the companies managing that equipment base, the deadline is the cutoff for migrating to technologies such as LTE-M or NB-IoT. In France the order is reversed: according to Aire, Orange France is shutting down its 2G network throughout 2026 and will retire 3G in 2028, meaning the very same device or handset can behave differently depending on which side of the border it’s on.
Emergency services and eCall: the unresolved part
The European Emergency Number Association (EENA) called on January 29, 2026, for the 2G and 3G shutdowns to be delayed until interoperability problems between handsets and voice services on 4G and 5G are resolved. The association says 112 emergency calls are already failing to connect, and others are connecting with degraded quality, no ability to call back, or unreliable location data.
At the same time, a study commissioned by the European Commission from LS Telcom estimates that, without intervention, 64 million vehicles could lose their eCall function because of uncoordinated shutdowns — compounding the same risk to cars’ automatic SOS systems already flagged elsewhere. The report describes a fragmented approach among member states and recommends that the Commission issue guidance to preserve at least one circuit-switched network until 2030 at the earliest. For fleet managers, it’s one more factor to weigh when renewing vehicles and telematics equipment.
For IT departments, the checklist is short: inventory corporate handsets and connected devices that depend on 2G or 3G, verify that company phones have VoLTE and VoWiFi enabled and up to date, and ask the carrier for the list of countries and networks where VoLTE roaming is supported. Aire says it has agreements with European carriers to offer VoLTE on their networks; it’s the kind of information worth demanding from any provider before signing up lines for traveling staff.
Frequently asked questions
Why does mobile data work while roaming, but calls don’t connect?
Because data roaming and voice roaming are separate services. A carrier can have a data roaming agreement with a visited network without having a matching VoLTE roaming agreement for voice, so apps that use data — like a WhatsApp call — work while a conventional call fails.
What should companies that rely on IoT devices check before the 2G/3G shutdown?
They should inventory connected devices and SIM-based equipment still running over GPRS or 2G/3G networks — alarms, meters, payment terminals, fleet trackers — and plan their migration to LTE-M or NB-IoT ahead of their carrier’s shutdown date.
How long will 2G last in Spain?
MasOrange has said its 2G network will stay in service until December 31, 2030, after shutting down 3G at the end of 2027; Vodafone has already closed its 3G network, and Movistar has begun switching off 3G in pilot municipalities.
Sources:
- Aire: VoLTE and the 2G/3G shutdown (Joan Aniorte)
- Telefonos.es: internet roaming but no calls
- GSA: 2G and 3G Switch-Off, August 2026
- EENA: call to delay the 2G and 3G shutdown
- European Commission: study on eCall and the 2G/3G shutdown
- BandaAncha.eu: the final phase of Vodafone’s 3G shutdown
- Roams: MasOrange’s 2G and 3G shutdown dates
This article is also available in Spanish: «El apagado del 2G y 3G deja la voz en roaming en manos de VoLTE», on revistacloud.com.
