Observed Signal · Jun 1, 2026 · Deprecation · Source: t3n · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
German Carriers Plan 2G Shutdown in 2028
O2 Telefónica announced in Munich that it will shut down the legacy 2G (GSM) mobile network in the second half of 2028 in Germany. Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom have made similar commitments for 2028; Vodafone plans to keep part of the 2G spectrum available for certain industrial IoT use cases until 2030. Operators say freeing 2G frequencies will allow reallocation to 4G and 5G, improving capacity and coverage for modern data-heavy use like streaming and mobile work. 3G has already been decommissioned (2021); Bundesnetzagentur figures cited show near-nationwide coverage for 2G (99.78% by at least one operator), 4G (97.79%) and 5G (95.29%). Consumers with very old handsets and some IoT devices will need migration plans.
Major national carriers plan to retire a foundational mobile standard, freeing spectrum for LTE/5G and forcing migration of IoT devices and legacy handsets—an operational change with broad impacts on connectivity and device compatibility.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- O2 Telefónica announced it will switch off 2G in Germany in the second half of 2028.
- Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom have also announced plans to end 2G in 2028; Vodafone will retain part of 2G spectrum for industrial IoT until 2030.
- Bundesnetzagentur coverage figures cited: at least one operator's 2G antennas cover 99.78% of Germany; 4G covers 97.79% and 5G 95.29% of the land area.
- 3G was already shut down in Germany in 2021; carriers say reclaiming 2G spectrum will increase LTE/5G capacity and free frequencies for modern networks.
- O2 and Vodafone executives urged companies and users still relying on 2G (notably some IoT sensors and very old phones) to migrate to newer technologies to avoid outages.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
German Carriers to End MMS Service June 30, 2026
German mobile operators will discontinue Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) on June 30, 2026. Vodafone had already switched off MMS on January 17, 2023; Telekom, O2 and 1&1 will shut their MMS services on the June 30 date. Operators and industry bodies point to plummeting usage, high costs, and replacement by internet-based messengers and newer standards. The GSMA finalised the RCS Universal Profile 4.0 in March 2026, positioning Rich Communication Services (RCS) as the successor for native carrier messaging (images, video, group chats) using subscribers' data plans. The article highlights steep long-term declines in SMS/MMS volumes and advises users to save any important legacy MMS content before the shutdown.
O2 Telefónica Germany to Cut Over 1,000 Jobs
O2 Telefónica's Germany unit (Telefónica Deutschland) plans to cut more than 1,000 jobs as part of a broad transformation to secure competitiveness. The reduction would eliminate roughly one in six or seven positions from a January headcount of 6,820. The move follows the loss of a major wholesale customer, 1&1, which moved its access to Vodafone in 2024 and transferred about 12 million customers by end‑2025. O2 reported weak 2025 results: revenue fell 3.8% to €8.2 billion and adjusted EBITDA dropped 8.8% to €2.5 billion. Bundesnetzagentur coverage figures (December) show O2's 4G coverage at 88.6% and 5G at 76.2% of Germany's area. Leadership changes and other cost measures (board reduction, voluntary exit agreements) accompany the restructuring.
MMS to be discontinued across Germany on June 30
German mobile operators will fully discontinue MMS on 30 June 2026. Vodafone had already switched off MMS on 17 January 2023; Telekom, O2 and 1&1 will remove the service at the end of June. MMS, introduced in the early 2000s to carry photos and small media files, never achieved mass adoption and declined rapidly as smartphones and internet messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Threema, Facebook Messenger) became dominant. Vodafone usage data show a peak in December 2012 (13 million MMS vs 1.5 billion SMS for Vodafone customers) and more than a 96% drop in MMS use by shutdown. SMS volumes in Germany fell from about 60 billion in 2012 to 2.9 billion in the last reported year. The industry is positioning Rich Communication Services (RCS) — Universal Profile 4.0 finalised by GSMA in March 2026 — as the successor for richer carrier messaging.
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