All four of Britain’s networks had agreed to the timetable, the government said

Britain will phase out its 2G and 3G mobile networks by 2033 to free up radio waves for 5G and eventually 6G services that will power technologies such as driverless vehicles, drones and virtual reality, it said on Wednesday.

All four of Britain’s networks – EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three – had agreed to the timetable, the government said.

BT, which owns the EE network, said in July it would phase out 3G by early 2023, followed by 2G, which is more than 25 years old, later in the decade.

Setting a date to end 2G and 3G services will make it easier for new equipment makers to enter the market because they will not have to support legacy technologies, the government said.

It wants to end the reliance on a handful of suppliers after China’s Huawei was banned from new networks last year, and to that end is supporting the development of Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) technology.

Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said: 5G technology is already revolutionising people’s lives and businesses – connecting people across the UK with faster mobile data and making businesses more productive.

Today we are announcing a further £50m ($66.2 million) to put the UK at the forefront of mobile connectivity and to make sure our telecoms networks are safe and secure now and in the future, she said.

The funding, announced ahead of a meeting with her US counterpart later on Wednesday, will be for Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) projects.

Hamish MacLeod, director of industry body Mobile UK, which represents all the major UK networks, said it welcomed the decision.

Switching off 2G and 3G will enable operators to transition fully to more energy-efficient and high capacity networks to the benefit of customers, he said.