Bell Mobility have notified us that starting February 2022, U.S. carriers will begin phasing out their 3G / HSPA wireless network service in the U.S (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Here are the latest updates on the status of the 3G / HSPA networks of Bell’s roaming partners:
- AT&T has officially announced that their 3G / HSPA network will be discontinued in February 2022.
- T-Mobile has not made a public statement regarding their 3G / HSPA network, but we expect that it will be discontinued in 2022.
The discontinuation impacts Canadian wireless subscribers who travel in the U.S. and use devices that do not support 4G LTE data and Voice over LTE (VoLTE) roaming.
If your subscribers have devices that only support 3G / HSPA, they will not be able to use voice services (including 9-1-1), the Internet or mobile data in AT&T and T-Mobile coverage areas once these carriers’ 3G / HSPA network services are discontinued.
In addition, subscribers with 4G LTE devices that do not support VoLTE roaming will also not be able to use voice services in these areas.
To continue roaming in the United States, impacted subscribers will require a compatible 4G LTE device for data-only services or a VoLTE roaming compatible device for voice and data services.