Emergency call association demands shutdown moratorium for GSM networks
The Association of European Emergency Number Authorities is calling for a suspension of the shutdown of 2G and 3G networks in Europe to avoid fatal consequences.
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The end is near: In 2028, the first German mobile operators will begin shutting down their GSM network. In addition to mostly older IoT and M2M applications, this primarily affects the emergency call system. Since the UMTS network in Germany was retired in 2021, a connection has always been possible via GSM in emergencies.
The GSM network is still in use, by older cars and their E-Call system, from elevators to classic, old mobile phones. However, the upcoming shutdown of GSM threatens to create gaps here. Now the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) is warning of problems – and calling for a shutdown pause.
Problems in Sweden
In Sweden, most network operators had shut down their GSM and UMTS networks in December 2025. Mobile phones are then supposed to automatically use Telia's only remaining GSM network for emergency calls. However, this apparently often doesn't work, except when the SIM card was previously removed from the device.
In Australia, a death occurred after relatives were unable to establish a connection to the emergency call center with an older Samsung phone. There were also problems with older iPhones on the continent.
Given these experiences, EENA considers a shutdown moratorium imperative. Shutting down too quickly could put people in danger when they need emergency services most urgently, is the concern. All parties involved must now work to ensure that the known problems are addressed, and only then should the shutdown continue.
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Germany shuts down
The shutdown problem is most urgent in Germany with Deutsche Telekom, which plans to retire 2G in the summer of 2028. Vodafone is taking a little more time – GSM will end there in 2030. Telefónica has not yet announced a shutdown date for the O2 network. 1&1 does not have its own GSM network, but currently uses Vodafone's network, which is why 2030 will likely be the end date here as well.
Just a week ago, the network operators jointly launched the new eCall-NG system for emergency calls in 4G and 5G mobile networks from the operators in Germany, which is now intended to become the new standard for automatic emergency calls from new cars.
(vbr)
