– If this is down, an alarm is sent to me via 2G. A call. And that’s really good, says dairy farmer Lars Lauten. The 14-year-old milking machine calls the farmer over the 2G network when it has problems. But the telecommunications companies have planned that they will turn off their 2G networks at the end of 2025. Dairy farmer Lars Lauten looks at the milking machine. Photo: Eirik Pessl-Kleiven / news The government: – The seriously worried 2G network in Norway is 31 years old. If you are outside the range of 4G and 5G, you may experience having to surf the internet with “edge”, i.e. 2G. Facts about the 2G network The 2G network was put into operation in 1993. It was an important milestone for the development of modern communication technology in Norway. Among other things, SMS messages could be sent for the first time. Since the 2000s, the 2G network has largely been replaced by 3G, 4G and 5G. The 3G network was closed in 2021. The 2G network is currently operated by Telenor and Telia. They announced last year that they plan to shut down the network in 2025. A number of products and services use the 2G network and could be affected by a shutdown: Alarms for burglary, fire and water leaks Ring cabin warm products Older mobile phones that only support 2G Garage doors Security alarms Lift telephones and alarms Health-related communication equipment Monitoring services for water meters Sewage and treatment plants Certain systems in cars and other vehicles Source: National Communications Authority Today 2G is mostly used for voice, SMS and so-called machine-to-machine communication (M2M). Many scams are therefore based on the 2G network. Managing director Kirsti Kierulf at the Norwegian Municipal Technical Association. Photo: Privat 120,000 security alarms, 35,000 lifts, and a large number of water and sewage installations are based on 2G technology, estimates the Norwegian Municipal Technical Association (NKF). – It is large and extensive, and we are concerned, says CEO of NKF, Kirsti Kierulf. The FRP doubts that Norway will have time to update all the dubbing things. Storting representative Morten Stordalen (Frp) wants to keep the 2G network a little longer. Photo: Eirik Pessl-Kleiven / news – We want to see Finland. They have postponed this until 2030. Norway should also follow suit, says Frps Morten Stordalen, who has presented a proposal to this effect in the Storting. And now the government is reversing course, and opening up to postponing the shutdown. – It has been announced for quite some time that the 2G network will be switched off. But I am seriously concerned about the consequences it could lead to, says Minister for Digitalization and Administration Karianne Tung (Ap), and continues: – That is why I am now considering postponing the shutdown. Making the decision before the New Year While Finland has chosen to instruct the telecommunications companies to maintain the operation of the 2G networks until 2030, Norway has chosen an arrangement to let the telecommunications companies themselves decide when the 2G network is to be shut down. Now the government is opening up to do the same as the Finns. Digitization and Administration Minister Karianne Tung (Ap) will decide before the New Year whether the closure of the 2G network should be postponed or not. Photo: NTB – The fact that security alarms, garage openers and cars should be able to work is important to us. If switching off the 2G network causes it to go down, then we can’t have any of it, says Tung. – Does this then mean that a final decision will come before the New Year? – It does. The shutdown of the 2G network has been announced from 2025, so this is a decision that must be made quite quickly, the minister replies. Been warned for a long time – the farmer is on track – Any technology transition has both positive and negative sides, says John-Eivind Velure. He is director of the National Communications Authority (Nkom), which is subordinate to the Ministry of Digitalization and Administration. The phasing out of 2G has been announced well in advance, and it is the telecommunications companies that are responsible for informing their customers about the phasing out, says director of the National Communications Authority, John-Eivind Velure. The 2G switch-off has been announced for over a decade, but it is not good to say how much equipment and infrastructure will be affected by the switch-off of the 2G network, according to Velure. – Having a total overview of this is probably not entirely possible. So that there may be some unforeseen consequences when you actually switch off, that can happen. Dairy farmer Lars Lauten has followed the advice of the authorities, and has already started replacing equipment on the farm that runs on 2G. Dairy farmer Lars Lauten has had bad experiences with network closures in the past. When the 3G network was closed in 2021, he lost the notification function on the milk tank that told him if something was wrong. Now he risks 7,000 liters of milk going sour before he finds out that something is wrong with the tank. Photo: Eirik Pessl-Kleiven / news – The fire protection plant, we have switched to 4G there. Burglar alarm at home, it has been replaced with 4G, says the farmer, who is well equipped for whatever the future brings. Published 15.11.2024, at 18.51 Updated 15.11.2024, at 18.59
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Now the government is open to abandoning switching off the 2G network next year – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
