Internet of Things Makes 2G More Valuable

You might think it just makes sense that the oldest mobile networks would be shut off, in favor of newer generations, when multiple networks are running simulataneously. In the past, where analog, 2G and 3G networks were operating simultaneously, it generally made sense to decommission the first generation network first, keeping 2G and 3G running. 

As 4G now has arrived, one might think it always makes sense to shut off 2G, and keep 3G and 4G running. Not always, as it turns out. Some operators will shut down 3G before 2G. The logic is that 2G is better suited to support low-power consumption, low-bandwidth, long reach Internet of Things apps, compared to 3G, while 4G does a more-efficient job with Internet data. 

In some markets, where 3G has not been widely deployed, some might make a decision to leapfrog from 2G directly to 4G, bypassing 3G altogether, especially if 5G makes a significant appearance by about 2020, with smaller commercial deployments occurring a few years earlier. 

It is not always easy to make such decisions, when payback periods stretch out for a decade or more. The reason is that next-generation mobile networks are deployed about every decade or so.