300,000 elevators blocked by the end of 2G and 3G networks? This organization warns of a real risk

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The announced end of 2G and 3G has unexpected effects. One of them concerns nearly 300,000 elevators throughout France. They could find themselves blocked overnight.

Stuck in an elevator
Credits: 123RF

It’s not because everyone is talking about 5G or 6G that we must bury the ancestors of these network standards. Not right away anyway. Countries around the world have already or are in the process of “turning off” the now obsolete 2G and 3G. In France, each operator will proceed according to its own schedule. There French Telecoms Federation (FFT) has published preliminary estimates starting end of 2025 for Orange 2G and ending with 3G from Bouygues Telecom in 2029.

So there is time to see it coming. However, this announced stoppage is not without posing sometimes unsuspected problems. There are still many systems based on 2G or 3G, and some are crucial, even downright vital. For example eCall, the 112 emergency call function embedded in all European vehicles since 2018. Faced with this observation, several car manufacturers are also calling for the deadline to be pushed back as long as possible. And they are not the only ones.

Why the end of 2G and 3G will impact elevators

There Elevator Federation (FAS) is not serene. In a press release, she recalls that “almost 50% of the elevator fleet is equipped with 2G-3G“. However, the devices to call someone in the event of a breakdown rely on one or other of these networks. No way to cut it, their presence in the cabins is obligatory.

The number of elevators that will find themselves non-compliant is therefore significant. The FSA “[…] therefore believes that it will be necessary to update or even replace 232,000 2G communicating systems by the end of 2026 or even the end of 2025 for some, and 58,000 3G communicating systems by 2028-2029“.

Such a project will take time. This is why the organization has “alerted telephone operators and ARCEP with a view to obtaining a minimum deferral of 2 years deadlines announced“. In fact, there is almost no chance that the request will be successful. Elevator engineers will have to manage to carry out the necessary work within the allotted time.

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