Telstra shuts down 2G network

A customer of Australia’s Telstra was given the honor of switching off Telstra’s 2G GSM network last week.

The customer, Oly Gordon, became a viral sensation after posting to Telstra’s Facebook page that he was still operating a Nokia 3315 2G phone after 13 years.

In response, Telstra last week invited him to flick the switch on its 2G network, and presented him with a brand new Google Pixel smartphone.

Telstra announced in 2014 that it planned to decommission its obsolete 2G network by the end of this year.

The operator has since been busy migrating the last of its 2G customers on to 3G or 4G networks, and has spent the last few months mailing replacement phones to the final few holdouts.

Gordon’s viral post came just in time to coincide with Nokia’s announcement that it has closed the transactions required for HMD Global to produce new Nokia-branded smartphones, tablets and feature phones under an exclusive 10-year licensing deal.