Mobile technologies have been evolving rapidly.  With the launch of the fourth generation mobile (4G) services in the early 2010s and of the fifth generation mobile (5G) services in April 2020, over 99% of mobile service users in Hong Kong are now enjoying mobile experiences that 4G or 5G technologies bring about.  To cope with the continual increasing demand of customers for more advanced mobile services, mobile network operators (MNOs) have successively ceased their provision of 2G services and even 3G services so as to re-deploy the vacated radio spectrum in support of higher generations of mobile technologies.

Hutchison Telephone Company Limited ("HTCL"), SmarTone Mobile Communications Limited ("SmarTone") and Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Limited ("HKT") have ceased to provide 2G services¹, while China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited ("CMHK") has also ceased to provide 3G services².  CMHK, being the last local MNO providing 2G services currently, has applied for and received the Communications Authority (CA)'s prior consent to cease the provision of its 2G services starting from 23 June 2026.  For details, please refer to the press release issued by the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA).  After the phased shutdown of 2G mobile networks, 23 June 2026 will mark the end of the 2G era in Hong Kong.

At present, mobile services worldwide are predominantly 4G / 5G services and 6G era will approach in several years.  The exit of 2G and 3G services is in line with the global development trend.  MNOs could focus their resources and radio spectrum on developing next-generation network technologies and providing diversified mobile services which are conducive to the overall economic development in the future.

OFCA appeals to 2G / 3G service subscribers or customers using 2G / 3G mobile devices to contact their respective service providers as early as possible to consider upgrading their service plans and mobile devices.  Further, some earlier 4G handset models only supporting the older version of VoLTE³ technology may not be able to make emergency calls (999 or 112) using VoLTE after the cessation of 2G and 3G services.  OFCA appeals to users of this handset type to contact their service providers as soon as possible to enquire whether their handsets will need software upgrade or replacement.

OFCA appeals to and encourages members of the public to assist their family members and friends, especially the elderly, to upgrade their services, handsets software or mobile devices according to the actual needs to ensure the continuity of mobile services.

Office of the Communications Authority

29 May 2026

Note 1:  HTCL, SmarTone and HKT ceased their provision of 2G services on 30 September 2021, 14 October 2022 and 8 November 2024 respectively.

Note 2:  CMHK ceased its provision of 3G services on 30 June 2025.

Note 3: VoLTE, i.e. Voice over Long Term Evolution (LTE), is a technology that enables voice calls made over 4G LTE networks instead of falling back to 2G or 3G networks.