Asia Pacific 2G & 3G Switch Off Market Forecast to 2030 - Regional Analysis - by Type and Application

The Asia Pacific 2G & 3G switch off market was valued at US$ 3.71 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach US$ 114.50 million by 2030; it is estimated to register a CAGR of -29.4% from 2020 to 2030.

Rising Digital Transformation Across SME's Boosts Asia Pacific 2G & 3G Switch Off Market

According to research by the industry association Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), small and medium-sized (SMEs) firms have been adopting digital technology for various purposes. Specifically, 60% of SMEs use it for human resources, 51% for sales and marketing, and 48% for finance. The study also showed that the most popular digital tools used by SMEs were accounting software (Tally, Vyapar, Busy, etc.) and business apps such as ERP and CRM. Thus, several manufacturers across the globe are adopting digital transformation.

Numerous production enterprises in the Chinese city of Foshan are transforming their businesses using 5G, the cloud, and other digital technologies. Midea, Huawei, and China Unicom Guangdong are cooperating to give these small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) the 5G connection and IT infrastructure required to increase efficiency and production significantly.

The implementation of Foshan City's action plan for digital transformation and upgrading the Foshan manufacturing industry, launched in July 2021, is made possible by Unicom Guangdong's 5G, cloud, and MEC infrastructure. According to the plan, Foshan will fund the digital transformation of industrial businesses with an investment of 10 billion yuan (US$ 1.48 billion) over the next three years. To accelerate the digital transformation of 3,000 manufacturing businesses, Foshan plans to construct "50 digital benchmark factories" and "100 digital benchmark workshops" by the end of 2023. Thus, such rising digital transformation across SMEs creates opportunities for using higher networks and switching off the 2G and 3G networks.

Asia Pacific 2G & 3G Switch Off Market Overview

The Asia Pacific 2G & 3G switch off market is segmented into Australia, India, China, Japan, South Korea, and the Rest of Asia Pacific. According to the ISG, a global technology research and IT advisory firm, 29 operators in Asia Pacific are estimated to sunset their 2G/3G networks by 2025. India plans to sunset 2G by the end of 2023. Vodafone will sunset its 2G in 2022, while Japan declared a nationwide 2G sunset in 2012.

Moreover, several regional operators are switching off the 2G and 3G networks. For instance, as of February 2021, Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL), the telecom operator providing services under the "Vi" brand, completely shut down 3G services across all its circles in India by the financial year 2022 and move over to 4G. The network operator is ready to provide 5G.

As of January 2024, Japanese telco SoftBank Corp. announced that it would shut down its 3G network. The company has told its customers who are using 3G handsets and price plans that from February 1, 2024, they will be unable to use its communication services, and it has even warned that it will automatically cancel 3G plans. Also, as of February 2023, the Australian network provider Telstra confirms the switch off of the 3G network after June 2024. The signal for the same will be turned off, making many devices and systems redundant. Thus, several shutdowns of 2G and 3G networks in the region will lower the market share of 2G and 3G networks.

Asia Pacific 2G & 3G Switch Off Market Segmentation

The Asia Pacific 2G & 3G switch off market is categorized into type, application, and country.

• Based on type, the Asia Pacific 2G & 3G switch off market is bifurcated into 2G and 3G. The 3G segment held a larger market share in 2020.
• In terms of application, the Asia Pacific 2G & 3G switch off market is segmented into message, voice, data, and IoT. The IoT segment held the largest market share in 2020.
• By country, the Asia Pacific 2G & 3G switch off market is segmented into Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and the Rest of Asia Pacific. China dominated the Asia Pacific 2G & 3G switch off market share in 2020.
• AT&T Inc, China Mobile Ltd, Deutsche Telekom AG, KDDI Corp, NTT Data Corp, Orange SA, Telenor ASA, and Vodafone Group Plc are some of the leading companies operating in the Asia Pacific 2G & 3G switch off market.