Out with the old: Rwanda retires 3G and 2G 🛜🇷🇼

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Rwanda is retiring its legacy mobile networks. The Ministry of ICT and Innovation (MINICT) has announced a phased shutdown of 3G and 2G services, with 3G set to go dark nationwide on June 30, 2027. The 2G network will follow at a later, unconfirmed date, depending on market readiness.

4G and 5G take centre stage 📡

The logic behind the decision is straightforward: freeing up the network capacity currently tied up in 2G and 3G lets operators redirect investment toward 4G — and eventually 5G. It’s a resource reallocation play, not just a technology upgrade.

Pilot shutdowns of 3G will run throughout 2026. Operators will keep expanding 4G coverage and monitoring service quality in parallel, aiming for a transition that doesn’t leave users stranded mid-migration.

A reform years in the making 🛠️

This isn’t a sudden decision. In November 2024, Rwanda and Germany launched a joint study to assess the technical and economic conditions for phasing out 2G and 3G. The study looked at infrastructure readiness, the costs of keeping older technologies running, migration paths for users, and the potential knock-on effects for coverage, pricing, and competition.

Operators were already reading the signs. In December 2024, Airtel Rwanda said it planned to gradually retire 3G, then 2G, as part of its own network modernization.

Conditions before 2G’s final shutdown ✅

That said, 2G isn’t disappearing overnight. Authorities say the shutdown depends on several conditions being met first: reliable nationwide 4G coverage, and continuity for calls, texts, mobile money, and emergency communications.

Services still running on USSD, 2G, or 3G will need to complete their migration. Regulators also want to make sure 4G-compatible phones stay affordable and that users are properly informed about the transition.

Businesses and public institutions told to get ready 🔄

The migration also affects companies and government bodies still running equipment built for older network generations. The ministry is urging them to replace or upgrade their systems, with mobile money, electronic payments, transport, healthcare, public safety, and government services flagged as priority sectors. Machine-to-machine equipment — payment terminals, smart meters, industrial systems — will need adapting too.

Authorities say digital inclusion remains front of mind. Data reportedly attributed to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) puts 2G and 3G coverage at roughly 98.8% of the Rwandan population in 2024, close to 4G levels — though we haven’t been able to independently verify that figure against ITU’s public datasets as of publication.

From here, the challenge isn’t just network coverage anymore. It’s whether people can actually get their hands on compatible devices and use the newer services to their full potential.

The shift toward 4G and, eventually, 5G will come with a gradual adjustment in how people use their networks and devices. Rwanda’s aim is a durable network upgrade — one that keeps services running and limits disruption for the users and sectors still relying on 2G and 3G.

What do you make of this shift toward 4G and 5G? Should other African countries start planning their own exit from 2G and 3G, or is it still too early? Let us know in the comments.