SINGAPORE: Singapore's 3G network, introduced more than 20 years ago, will be retired in phases beginning Aug 1, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced Wednesday.

IMDA said the process will begin with M1, one of the three mobile network operators (MNOs) that provide 3G services in the island republic.

"IMDA has been tracking MNOs' progress closely. Given that M1 has fully migrated all its individual and enterprise 3G subscribers to 4G/5G services, M1 will proceed to retire its 3G network beginning Aug 1, 2024," it said in a statement.

The other two MNOs - Singtel and StarHub - will give their remaining 3G subscribers more time to migrate and will continue to assist their customers.

Both MNOs plan to commence retiring their 3G services from November 2024.

In July 2023, MNOs had announced plans to retire their 3G networks.

IMDA had said then that before retirement, MNOs must ensure that their remaining 3G subscribers, both individual and enterprise users, are migrated smoothly onto 4G/5G networks. If this is achieved, the MNOs can start to retire 3G services from July 31.

To support their 3G subscribers, MNOs are required to provide a range of 4G/5G service plans and 4G/5G mobile phone options, as well as support enterprise users and assist them to take the necessary steps to smoothly migrate .

Since February 2024, IMDA has also stopped the import and sale of 3G mobile devices in Singapore to prevent further proliferation in the market.

Retailers or service providers of non telecommunication products and services that make use of 3G mobile connectivity, such as car manufacturers and fleet management service providers, were also informed of the planned retirement of the 3G networks.

They are required to take the necessary mitigation measures, and to inform their users.

IMDA said the retirement of 3G will unlock spectrum capacity that can be invested in future-ready 5G networks, to provide a better mobile experience, and support enterprise digital transformation.

Today, more than 99.9 per cent of Singapore's mobile subscribers are already on 4G/5G, with 3G subscribers making up less than 0.1 per cent.

IMDA said 5G subscriptions have also gained prevalence since its introduction in 2022, making up 20 per cent of total mobile subscribers today and this percentage continues to grow.