AT&T 3G network shutdown coming — will your phone still work?

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AT&T is shutting down its 3G network next year

AT&T 3g shutdown
(Image credit: Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

Carriers shutting down 3G networks has been a long time coming, and AT&T has set a date for its shutdown. After February 22, 2022, many older devices will stop working on the network, but AT&T has published a list of which ones will still have access it.

Spotted by XDA Developers, the list is quite expansive and includes several phones and tablets released within the last five to six years. Essentially, if it supports LTE and VoLTE, you're safe. If you want to check the full thing, here's the list.

Of all the carriers, AT&T has made things the most clear to understand. Not only has it provided a cutoff date, but the list it made is extremely helpful. That's more than we can say for Verizon or T-Mobile, which have repeatedly delayed 3G network shutdowns.

Verizon has delayed its 3G network shutdown to December 31, 2022 while T-Mobile has pushed its UTMS 3G network shutdown to April 2022. Sprint's CDMA 3G network will go offline on January 1, 2022. Neither of these two carriers have given as many details regarding what devices will continue to work, so kudos to AT&T.

There is some concern among those whose alarm systems rely on AT&T's 3G network. Many fear that there isn't enough time for consumers and enterprises to switch, and have asked the FCC to forcibly delay AT&T's shutdown.

Again, any device that supports LTE data and Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which AT&T calls "HD Voice," will continue to work. Some of these include iPhone 6 and newer, a lot of Samsung devices, Pixel 2 and up, and several more budget or lesser known devices.

Though a smaller one than the phones, the list of tablets is also quite large. Be sure you check out the full breakdown if you're worried about your phone continuing to work on AT&T come next February.

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Jordan Palmer
Jordan Palmer
Phones Editor

Jordan is the Phones Editor for Tom's Guide, covering all things phone-related. He's written about phones for over six years and plans to continue for a long while to come. He loves nothing more than relaxing in his home with a book, game, or his latest personal writing project. Jordan likes finding new things to dive into, from books and games to new mechanical keyboard switches and fun keycap sets. Outside of work, you can find him poring over open-source software and his studies.