this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2025
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273
Why most countries are struggling to shut down 2G. (restofworld.org)
submitted 5 days ago by Tea@programming.dev to c/technology@lemmy.world
77 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Global leap to 4G and 5G would cut off phone access for millions of vulnerable people.

  • Telecom companies aim to profit from the 2G-to-5G transition as governments worldwide face pressure to free up mobile spectrum.
  • Vietnam is the latest country to shut down 2G by offering free 4G phones to the poor.
  • India and South Africa have expressed concern that the strategy would cut off phone access for millions of vulnerable people.
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[–] Fake4000@lemmy.world 83 points 4 days ago (11 children)

You will be surprised how many old people rely on health monitoring devices that use 2G to send basic data.

[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 48 points 4 days ago (10 children)

Not just old people. I had a heart monitor a couple years ago that’s only made for 2G.

Alright maybe I’m getting old but that’s not the point.

When I was visiting the Caribbean they also had a lot of 2G infrastructure still operating.

[–] Revered_Beard@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago (9 children)

It sounds like there's a really big market opportunity for somebody to make a portable transceiver that converts 2G and 3G signals into 5G...

[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I’m not sure there would be an advantage. The signals are very different. That might be approximately equal to building a new one.

[–] Revered_Beard@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

...you don't see the advantage in avoiding open heart surgery to replace an embedded medical device?

[–] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I think the thing you'd have to replace is outside the body. Something like this:

collapsed inline media

https://www.mobihealthnews.com/content/biotronik-launches-portable-cellular-transmitter-implantable-heart-devices

I'm not sure an implanted cellular transmitter would even work, given how human tissue absorbs that spectrum.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Penetration-depth-of-radiofrequency-into-human-tissues-28_tbl2_323083486

[–] Revered_Beard@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Ooohhh! You know what, I learned something new today! Thank you so much for taking the time to explain it in a way that made sense to me.

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