Iliad Group's Polish subsidiary Play has confirmed it will start its 3G switch-off from next month.

The carrier said it carried out a pilot to remove the service in parts of Poland last year.

Play said the retirement of 3G will begin in selected counties initially, including Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Lublin, Łódź, Masovian, Subcarpathian, Silesian, Świętokrzyskie, and Wielkopolska.

According to Play, impacted customers will be notified ahead of the switch off, including users of Virgin Mobile and Fakt Mobile, MVNOs of Play.

Play noted that the 900 MHz frequency used for its 3G network will be reallocated to its 4G and 5G networks.

"These are more modern generations of networks, offering significantly better data transfer and a significant improvement in the quality of voice calls using VoLTE/5G Voice and WiFi calling technology. Ultimately, the effect of the change will be felt by all Play customers, without the need to replace the SIM card," said Play.

Customers on 3G will log in to the 2G network, depending on if they don't have 4G-ready devices.

Play added that its pilot last year was able to carry out the 3G shutdown in a more tailored way for mobile users.

Telcos across the world are phasing out their 3G networks. Earlier this month, Latvia's Tele2 said it would retire the service next month, weeks after its Estonian subsidiary also outlined its 3G retirement plans.

South African telco MTN noted last week that it's on course to retire the service by the end of the year.

In the UK, Virgin Media O2 has outlined plans to start decommissioning its 3G network in April 2025.

Last month, Hrvatski Telekom (HT) completed its 3G retirement plans in Croatia.