Europe: Slovak Telecom begins slated 3G shutdown

Slovak Telecom, owned by Deutsche Telekom, begins a phased 3G shutdown today, switching off services in Zlate Moravce and Zarnovica districts ahead of a gradual region-by-region closure. 

The Slovakian operator expects to complete its 3G shutdown by the end of the year. Slovak Telecom intends to repurpose the spectrum freed by the 3G network closure to improve its 4G and 5G services. However, 02, the other Slovak 3G provider, is still silent about plans for its network shutdown. 
On the other hand, domestic rival operator Orange has decided to leave its 3G network fully operational till the end of the year. It is scheduled to begin its switch-off early next year. 

Telcos in other parts of the world are also on track for the 3G network shutdown as  Telia Finland kicked off its 3G network switch-off earlier this month. At the same time, its Danish and Lithuanian businesses have completed the shutdown of their respective 3G networks.