Communication ministry: Closing of 2nd and 3rd generation cellular networks

The  communication ministry continues its activities to promote advanced broadband wireless infrastructure that will enable the provision of quality cellular services in light of the need to address the growing needs of cellular communications in Israel and the growing demand for broadband data communications.
As part of a hearing, the ministry is considering setting an outline for closing old technologies in the cellular networks in a graded procedure that will last five years until December 31, 2525.
With the pace of technology development in cellular networks, the ministry has decided to examine setting an outline for the closure of 2nd and 3rd generation networks. A similar move has been made for several years by cellular operators in many countries around the world. The proposed outline is formulated after the professional bodies in the office have examined a number of alternatives.
The stages of the outline proposed at the hearing:
Phase A - Prohibition of commercial import of mobile devices that support only old technologies.
Phase B - Disconnecting the network (activation) of mobile devices that support only old technologies.
Phase C -.
The outline detailed at the hearing, refers to the required preparation of all parties in the value chain while notifying the public, in order to enable appropriate assessments.
This step joins the other steps that the firm is leading in order to enable a technological leap forward and in order to improve the quality of cellular services provided to the private consumer and industry, including: allocating frequencies in the 5th generation tender that will increase coverage and expand capacity in advanced technologies; And providing incentives to companies including arrangement
The reduction in fees which will convert a considerable proportion of call services in the old technologies to calls in the new technologies.
The cellular technologies currently operating in Israel are "2nd generation" (GSM technology), "3rd generation" (UMTS technology) and "4th generation" (LTE technology), when a tender procedure was recently completed
"Generation 5". There are currently two cellular networks that provide services in generations 2, 3 and 4, and one network that provides services in generations 3 and 4.
In the State of Israel, the frequency situation for the provision of cellular services is limited in relation to existing in the world. Closing the old technologies in the networks will make it possible to optimize the utilization of the spectrum resource in favor of the provision of services in the advanced technologies. In addition, the closure of old technologies will help operators deal with the growing operational complexity with the entry into the network of new technologies alongside the need to preserve existing technologies as well as the multiplicity of network components operated in each of the technologies.
A survey conducted by the ministry shows that expanding the deployment in the 4th generation and the deployment in the 5th generation in certain parts of the world has shifted the focus of many operators in the world from the old technologies in order to free up resources for these technologies. It is expected that by 2025 only advanced technology networks will operate at all operators in North America, as well as at most operators in Europe