Bell Pushes Back Its 3G Shutdown—Here’s the New Timeline

Bell now plans to retire its 3G network in early 2027, freeing up wireless spectrum to improve its 5G+ network across Canada.

In an interview with iPhone in Canada , Blaik Kirby, Bell’s Group President of Consumer and Small & Medium Business, said the move is part of the company’s ongoing network modernization efforts. The shutdown will allow Bell to reuse existing spectrum to improve coverage and speeds for the majority of customers already using newer devices.

“We’re decommissioning our 3G network so that we can reuse the spectrum for the 5G network,” Kirby said. “If you really need a 3G phone, you have until Q1 2027, but we think that the other 99.5% are more important than the 0.5%, and we just need to move on with this upgrade cycle so that the 5G experience is better.”

Kirby said