Update on Canadian
3G Network Shutdown
We strongly encourage Canadian oil and gas companies to take stock of any equipment that will be affected by a complete 3G network shutdown and make plans today to upgrade.
TOKU is keeping close tabs on the impending 3G network shutdown by Canadian carriers because a broad range of equipment that relies on 3G modem technology to service the oil and gas industry will lose functionality. We strongly encourage Canadian oil and gas companies to make plans today to upgrade.
Learn about the potential scale of the challenge to transition off the 3G network and why early planning is critical by reading our article “As 3G Networks Shut Down in Canada, Are Oil and Gas Producers Prepared?”
What We Know
This page will be updated as we become aware of new information about the Canadian 3G network shutdown.
Last updated Nov 4, 2025.
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SaskTel
★NEW★ Shutting Down 3G on Some Towers Dec 31, 2025
- ★NEW★ On Dec 31, 2025, 65 SaskTel towers will no longer support 3G service. Some affected areas may still have 3G service from nearby towers at a reduced speed. More details (including a map of affected towers) are provided on the SaskTel website.
- SaskTel has more than 1,000 of their own cell towers in Saskatchewan. SaskTel has not officially communicated a 3G shutdown date for the rest of their towers.
- ★NEW★ While SaskTel has previously stated they will provide a minimum 12 months’ public notice for their 3G shutdown and carry out a full communications plan to provide awareness of timing and actions for affected customers, this partial shutdown highlights the unpredictability of the process. A Government of Saskatchewan online document noted that this change is “due to the expiration of a leased spectrum agreement that cannot be renewed”. Be aware that business interdependencies behind the scenes can shift the 3G landscape more quickly than planned.
Bell
Target Date of Mar 1, 2027 for Canada-Wide 3G Shutdown (Manitoba is earlier)
- Bell is contacting business customers with 3G modems on its network to inform them of a targeted shutdown of March 1, 2027.
- Bell is discontinuing its 3G network in Manitoba for both personal and business customers by December 31, 2025. Originally, Bell 3G services for personal customers were going to be discontinued two months ahead of business customers, but the date for personal customers has now shifted to coincide with business customers.
- Bell has not officially communicated any information about shutting down their 3G network in other areas of Canada but provided 6-9 months’ public notice for their 3G network shutdown in Manitoba.
- Visit the Bell website for more information on their 3G shutdown.
Rogers
Starting 3G Shutdown Aug 7, 2025
- Rogers initially announced that they were planning to retire their 3G network on July 31, 2025.
- Rogers now says they will shut down their 3G network, area by area, across Canada beginning on Aug 7, 2025. Rogers will notify customers before retiring 3G in their area.
- Rogers says that if customers have not transitioned to the 3G network, they will be transitioned to the old 2G network for calls and texts but not data services. Data services will only be available for LTE and 5G networks.
- Rogers provided about six months’ public notice for their 3G network shutdown.
- Visit the Rogers website for more information on their 3G shutdown.
Telus
3G Shutdown Beginning in Manitoba at the End of 2025
- Telus is discontinuing its 3G network in Manitoba by December 31, 2025 for rural customers (anywhere outside of Winnipeg and Brandon) and March 31, 2026 for urban customers in Winnipeg and Brandon.
- Telus has not officially communicated any information about shutting down their 3G network in other areas of Canada but has provided 6-9 months’ public notice for their 3G network shutdown in Manitoba.
- Telus has emphasized that less than 3% of their customers use the 3G network and that their goal is to move customers off of the 3G network. Telus also implemented an additional charge for mobile customers who use their 3G network earlier in 2025.
- Visit the Telus website for more information on the status of their 3G network.
Videotron
(in Eastern Canada) Phasing Out 3G Network on July 31, 2025
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Visit the Videotron website for more information on their 3G shutdown.
Other Info
View the 3G network phase-out alert on the CRTC website.
- With over 1,000 TOKU monitoring devices in the field that also monitor their device health and performance, our units are able to provide us with information about cell tower health, including cell channels, frequency and signal strength as well as any data transmission failures.
- TOKU has observed weakening signal strength for some devices on the 3G network in western Canada, which suggests a changing nature of 3G service in some areas.
We encourage you to work with TOKU to plan your upgrades as soon as possible to avoid any disruption to service.
With thousands of EFM systems in Canada that rely on integrated 3G modems, companies that make a commitment to upgrade early will ensure continuous service. Companies that wait to the last minute to upgrade risk limited availability of cost-effective replacements like the QuickSense EFM and subsequently gaps in monitoring.