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By Ross Moyo
Zimbabwe is joining a worldwide shift away from 3G. Econet Wireless has announced it will switch off its 3G network by the end of December 2027, aligning with Rwanda and South Africa and following Europe by several years.
The move is part of a global trend where mobile operators are retiring older networks to free up spectrum for 4G and 5G.
“Our plan is to shut down 3G first, by the end of December 2027,” said Econet CEO Dr Douglas Mboweni.
“Retiring the older technologies would improve service quality, free up valuable spectrum and align our network with global trends.”
In Africa, Rwanda has set June 30 2027 as its national 3G switch-off date. South Africa has picked December 31 2027. This week, Ukrainian operator Kyivstar said it had migrated more than one million subscribers from 3G to 4G.
Europe moved much earlier. Germany and the Czech Republic completed 3G shutdowns in 2021. The United Kingdom finished in early 2025 and is now planning to retire 2G between 2029 and 2033.
Dr Mboweni said Zimbabwe cannot afford to lag.
“Only a small proportion of our customers remain on 3G, as most are now using 4G and 5G. We are encouraging those still on the older technology to migrate to the higher-speed technologies.”
The company said 3G is increasingly inadequate for modern use. It struggles with video, cloud services and AI applications that now define mobile internet.
To manage the transition, Econet will keep 2G for longer, especially for rural areas where feature phones are still common. The CEO said the company will provide affordable handsets and flexible payment terms.
Econet has ordered new 4G and 5G equipment and is building an independent power system. The modernisation will require annual investment of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The operator is also tackling device quality. It is urging dealers to stop selling 2G and 3G-only phones and has launched a system to detect “grey handsets” that do not meet specifications.
By 2028, Zimbabwe’s mobile network will look very different. 3G will be history, 4G will be the minimum, and 5G will be expanding. For Econet, the shutdown is not just about technology — it is about keeping Zimbabwe connected to the global digital economy.
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