LONDON Reuters- Britain will phase out of its 2 G and 3 G mobile networks by 2033 to free up radio waves for 5 G and eventually 6 G services that will power technologies such as driverless vehicles, drones and virtual reality, it said on Wednesday.
Four of Britain's networks - EE, Vodafone, O 2 and Three - had agreed to the timetable, the government said.
BT, which owns the EE network, said in July it would phase out 3 G by early 2023, followed by 2 G, which is more than 25 years old, later in the decade.
The government said that setting a date to end 2 G and 3 G services will make it easier for new equipment makers to enter the market because they will not have to support legacy technologies.
After China banned Huawei from new networks last year, it wants to end the reliance on a handful of suppliers and is supporting the development of Open Radio Access Networks Open RAN technology.
Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries, who is visiting her counterpart in the United States, has announced 50 million pounds $66.2 million of additional funding for Open RAN projects.