US carrier T-Mobile has confirmed via its website that it has started to phase out its 2G mobile network.

T-Mobile had been due to start its 2G switch off in April 2024 but delayed it without reason last February.

"T-Mobile will be phasing out the older T-Mobile 2G (GSM) network. Capacity and coverage of T-Mobile’s 2G (GSM) network is expected to change starting as early as February, 2025," notes the carrier on its website.

T-Mobile has given no exact date for the completion of the phase-out.

In a statement to DCD, T-Mobile said that its 2G network will be gradually phased out.

"We’ve started the process and while the changes will roll out gradually over time, our 2G network will remain operational for many customers during this transition. We’ve talked about retiring our 2G network in 2025 for the past several years and are continuing to support customers with 2G devices through free device upgrades to ensure they maintain connectivity." 

T-Mobile has warned its customers to switch over to 4G and 5G-ready devices if they haven't already.

The carrier even said it's offering free replacement devices for users on 2G handsets.

Carriers across the world have pushed hard to phase out their legacy 2G and 3G mobile networks, with 3G retired earlier in most instances, as 2G still serves niche markets, including a range of IoT applications.

T-Mobile has already switched off its 3G service, doing so in July 2022, after previously discontinuing the LTE network it inherited from Sprint Corp and Sprint’s 3G CDMA infrastructure.

The company's 2G network has been live since 1996, when its predecessor VoiceStream Wireless launched the cellular network.