All major US networks are doing this, not just AT&T.
The spectrum is needed for 5G.
From the FCC:
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/plan-ahead-phase-out-3g...
The spectrum is needed for 5G.
From the FCC:
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/plan-ahead-phase-out-3g...
So how many years should a company continue to support old technologies?
3G was first released in 2002 (20 years ago) [0]
4G was 2010 (12 years ago), which was the successor to 3G (though I realized "4G" is a debated term) [1]
To put this into perceptive, Samsung/Google don't even support their cellphones older than about 2 years old.
Now I'm not suggesting a shorter support cycle, but 20 years seems more than fair.
I can also buy a brand "new" telegraph today from Amazon for $10. Should carriers still support something that was created 100 years ago?
Very few people are advocating that they keep 3G around using 5x5MHz of spectrum for little gain; people are just advocating that they not limit consumers from using the supported device of their choice regardless of whether it's on the list.
[0] https://www.att.com/idpassets/images/support/pdf/Devices-Wor...
No one is saying ATT should continue operating their 3G network. On what grounds are they terminating subscriptions?
Also, there's more than just Apple/Samsung/Google. Operators are shutting off 3G, but keeping 2G alive for a while longer for crap that's abundant, and doesn't need anything more anyway.