For most of two decades the 2G and 3G networks have quietly carried legacy voice, machine-to-machine connections and low-band coverage that newer technologies could not yet replace. That era is ending. Around the world, operators have moved from announcing sunset dates to executing them, and by 2026–2027 the switch-off is no longer a hypothetical—it is a procurement deadline with real consequences for anyone buying, selling or managing cellular CPE.
The practical result is straightforward: the devices that will survive this transition are 4G/5G-only, voice-capable over VoLTE or VoNR, and flexible enough to ride refarmed spectrum. Everything else is a stranded asset waiting to happen.
The sunset timeline is now concrete
Major operators across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific have already switched off their 3G networks, and 2G is following in most markets, with a smaller set of operators retaining a thin 2G layer for roaming and legacy IoT into the late 2020s. The message for buyers is consistent: new CPE purchases should assume no 2G or 3G fallback. A device that still lists 2G/3G as its safety net is planning for a network that will not exist.
Spectrum refarming turns sunset into capacity
Sunset is not an act of subtraction; it is a transfer. The spectrum freed by 2G and 3G is being refarmed to LTE and 5G NR, which is why low-band and mid-band capacity announcements so often follow a switch-off. For CPE this matters in two ways. First, a device must support the refarmed bands the operator is re-deploying. Second, older devices locked to a legacy band can lose coverage as that band is repurposed. Buyers should verify band support against the operator’s post-sunset band plan, not its historical one.
VoLTE and VoNR become the voice baseline
With 2G and 3G gone, circuit-switched voice disappears with them. Voice on a 4G/5G network must be carried as VoLTE, and increasingly VoNR on standalone 5G. For fixed wireless and business CPE that still delivers a phone line, this means the device and the operator core must agree on IMS-based voice. A CPE without properly provisioned VoLTE/VoNR support will simply have no dial tone once the legacy networks close, which is why voice readiness has become a first-order acceptance criterion rather than an afterthought.
What the endgame means for CPE procurement
The switch-off changes the specification conversation in several concrete ways:
- 4G/5G-only by default. Specify devices with no legacy dependency and confirm they operate cleanly on LTE and 5G NR from power-on.
- Voice by design. Require VoLTE and, where the network is standalone, VoNR support, tested against the operator’s IMS core before deployment.
- Refarm-aware band support. Match the device’s band set and carrier-aggregation combinations to the operator’s post-sunset spectrum plan.
- Future-proofing over nostalgia. A device that covers the modern band plan is worth more than one that clings to legacy fallback.
A modernization checklist for operators
- Confirm the operator’s 2G/3G switch-off dates and the bands being refarmed.
- Audit the installed CPE base for legacy-dependent devices and voice reliance.
- Specify 4G/5G-only CPE with VoLTE/VoNR and the post-sunset band set.
- Validate IMS voice and band behaviour in field trials before fleet rollout.
- Plan a replacement cadence that completes before the final switch-off, not after.
The 2G and 3G sunsets are the clearest possible reminder that connectivity hardware is only as good as the network it can reach. Operators who treat the switch-off as a procurement milestone will exit the transition with cleaner spectrum, simpler fleets and a subscriber base already on the networks that will carry the next decade.