It’s closing 3G networks in Uusimaa and Southwest Finland this month, except for the Helsinki Metropolitan Area which will follow in January
Finland’s DNA is shutting down its 3G networks in Uusimaa and Southwest Finland overnight on Wednesday, 22 November apart from the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which includes the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen. They will be closed down in January.
The operator says the frequencies used by 3G will be recycled to improve 4G coverage “Within a few weeks of the shutdown of 3G”. The 3G network accounts for less than 1% of mobile data used by DNA’s customers.
Progress
DNA has already shut down the 3G network in Hyvinkää in May and in Kanta-Häme and Päijät-Häme at the end of October. The lessons learned from this previously completed work will also be applied in the shutdown of 3G in Uusimaa and Southwest Finland (Varsinais-Suomi).
Jarkko Laari, VP of Radio Networks at DNA (pictured), “If all goes as expected, a few weeks after the shutdown of 3G, we will transfer the now vacant frequencies over to 4G technology, which will improve the user experience in the 4G network. As the utilisation rate of the 3G network is very low today, most of our mobile customers are likely to see this measure solely in a positive light.”
4G and 5G technology are more energy-efficient than 3G in relation to the amount of data transferred. DNA’s 4G network covers nearly 100% of Finland’s residents. Correspondingly, the population coverage of the 5G network in November 2023 was 93%, which is more than 5 million people. DNA’s support page for