CHARLESTON, S.C. — A major change in cell phone networks could leave older devices without the ability to make emergency calls.
This warning has popped up in multiple places since late 2021 along with announcements that several major carriers would be dropping the "3G" band. Now, a South Carolina fire department and emergency operators in the area are working to make sure residents don't find out the hard way.
The Charleston Fire Department, on Thursday, shared a graphic created by the Charleston County Consolidated 911 Center showing when each major carrier will be dropping 3G.
It explains that AT&T has already discontinued 3G service as of February with T-Mobile and Sprint expected to do so between March and July. Verizon, meanwhile, is expected to drop 3G service at the end of the year.
While certain devices will make this change obvious, simply by not making calls, it turns out there are everyday devices you may not think about that use cell phone technology.
These include medical alert devices, car systems, and home security devices. It's also important to realize that deactivated phones that typically still allow only 911 calls will be impacted by this as well if they use the 3G network.
For activated phones, knowing whether you have 3G service may be as easy as looking at the top of your phone screen for "3G". Other devices, like medical alert devices and car systems, may require a call to the service provider or manufacturer.
Editor's note: Phones that use 3G will be unable to call other numbers as well if they lack service. As such, testing your phone by calling other numbers should suffice. Do not call 911 directly to test your phone as this may unnecessarily tie up emergency operators, keeping them from actual emergencies.