INFOGRAPHIC
2G, 3G, legacy networks putting pressure on service providers
New research from TXO, a global provider in sustainable technology solutions, reveals that high cost of maintaining legacy networks is putting significant financial and operational pressure on service providers. Despite this, most operators predict that ageing infrastructure – including copper, 2G, and 3G – will remain in service for the foreseeable future. nearly a fifth, 19 % predicting decommissioning efforts will continue beyond that date.
81 % of respondents said that these legacy networks are hindering their ability to roll out new services, limiting their competitiveness against greenfield operators.
Source: The telecoms legacy burden by TXO and Censuswide
Despite positive modernisation efforts from across the industry, 79 % of operators surveyed say their copper networks will be operational until at least 2028, while more than a quarter, 28 % expect them to last until 2030 or beyond.
Similarly, 43 % of service providers report that 2G networks will not be fully phased out until 2030, with
Operators are caught in a challenging cycle where legacy networks are becoming increasingly costly to maintain, yet full decommissioning is still years away.
The continued reliance on copper and legacy mobile networks is a major hurdle to new network innovations in 5G and fibre, hindering competitiveness and sustainability.
22 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www. intelligentcio. com