Spark has officially completed the nationwide shutdown of its 3G network, marking the end of all its 3G services in New Zealand.
Customer Director Greg Clark said the closure follows years of preparation to help customers transition to faster, more reliable 4G and 5G technologies.
“Our teams have been working for several years to prepare for this change. We’ve upgraded all 3G-only cell towers to 4G or 5G, built over 120 new towers since announcing our shutdown date in June last year, and sent more than 4 million notifications to customers.”
“In addition, we’ve invested in an industry-wide mass awareness campaign and partnered with Digital Equity Coalition Aotearoa (DECA) to provide on-the-ground community support,” Clark said.
Shutting down 3G enables Spark to focus on modern 4G and 5G networks, delivering faster speeds, greater reliability, and meeting growing data demands.
“Since its introduction in the early 2000s, 3G transformed mobile communication. But over time, usage has shifted from mainly voice calls to data-heavy activities like streaming, gaming, video calls, and online content sharing – demands that 4G and 5G networks are far better equipped to handle. In just the past decade, mobile data demand has surged by 544%.”
All phones sold by Spark are 4G or 5G capable, with prices starting at $59.
For questions, customers can visit spark.co.nz/3G-shutdown, visit any of Spark’s 55+ stores, or call the dedicated 3G team at 0800 343 948.