Bell shutting down 3G network

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This article was published 04/04/2019 (2356 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitobans who are still using the old 3G or CDMA network and have never updated their mobile devices to take advantage of enhanced service and features of Bell’s faster, more responsive 4G and LTE networks have hit the end of the road.

Bell — including Bell MTS — is shutting down its CDMA or 3G network at the end of this month, rendering the old devices that 3G customers were using obsolete.

The majority of these CDMA devices would have been acquired 10 or more years ago, long before 4G networks were available and only work on the 3G CDMA network.

The number of CDMA subscribers in Manitoba has decreased significantly in recent years and there are likely only a few thousand remaining on the network.

In Manitoba, Bell’s LTE network now covers 97 per cent of the Manitoba population, including the entire old CDMA coverage area.

The company initially began winding down CDMA in some areas in 2017, but still has some remaining customers in Manitoba, as well as in Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic region. But that network will be shut down completely on April 30.

Bell plans to deploy the former CDMA site structures, fibre connections and power systems in its LTE network and ultimately for 5G as well.

A Bell MTS official said it has contacted every CDMA customer and sent each of them a replacement 4G phone and SIM card free of charge, allowing them to keep their existing phone number.

A spokesperson for Rogers said it has no plans to turn off its 3G network. A Telus official was unavailable.

If customers have any questions, they can visit a Bell MTS store or call 1-800-883-2054.