en.Wedoany.com Reported - With approval from the Communications Authority of Hong Kong, China Mobile Hong Kong officially terminated its 2G services on June 23, 2026. The company had previously completed the shutdown of its 3G network on June 30, 2025. Following the cessation of 2G services, its network will no longer support 2G and 3G operations, with user communication services primarily relying on next-generation mobile network capabilities such as 4G, 5G, and VoLTE.
Major mobile network operators in Hong Kong had already phased out 2G services successively. Hutchison Telephone, SmarTone, and HKT have all terminated their 2G offerings. As the last operator in Hong Kong still providing 2G services, China Mobile Hong Kong's network shutdown marks the official end of Hong Kong's 2G mobile communication services. For Hong Kong's telecommunications market, this represents a significant milestone in the transition from traditional voice and low-speed data networks to a 4G/5G-dominated network structure.
The 2G network had long served as the backbone for basic voice calls, SMS, and low-speed data services, playing a crucial role in the early popularization of mobile communications. With 4G and 5G becoming mainstream, the proportion of users relying on 2G networks and actual traffic has continued to decline. Maintaining legacy network systems consumes spectrum, equipment, operational, and energy resources. After the shutdown, operators can reallocate these resources to more efficient next-generation mobile network construction and service optimization.
In its shutdown arrangements, China Mobile Hong Kong reminded users to ensure that mobile data and VoLTE high-definition voice functions are properly activated to maintain continuity of voice calls, SMS, and internet services. Users still operating terminals that do not support VoLTE functionality need to upgrade their devices or services to avoid disruptions in voice calls or network services after the 2G shutdown.
From an industry trend perspective, global mobile communication services are now dominated by 4G and 5G, with some markets already beginning to restructure network resources for the evolution toward 5G-A and 6G. Hong Kong's termination of 2G and 3G services aligns with the generational upgrade trend in mobile communication networks, helps improve spectrum utilization efficiency, reduces the burden of maintaining old equipment, and frees up resources for future higher-speed, lower-latency, and more diverse mobile services.
For operators, the 2G network shutdown involves more than just closing old networks; it also includes customer migration, device replacement, service continuity, roaming adaptation, and IoT device upgrades. Some elderly users, backup phone users, older industrial terminals, or low-speed IoT devices may still rely on traditional network capabilities, necessitating thorough notification and service transition during the shutdown process.
Key areas for future observation will focus on user migration following China Mobile Hong Kong's network shutdown, VoLTE service stability, 4G/5G network capacity optimization, progress in replacing old terminals, and whether Hong Kong's spectrum resources will be further utilized for 5G-A, IoT, and future 6G-related network construction. With the formal exit of 2G, Hong Kong's mobile communication network will enter a new phase dominated by 4G, 5G, and the evolution toward next-generation networks.
This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com
