The cell phone will stop working within a few days

A mysterious warning from the provider is currently worrying Drei customers. This is the background.

“Important! Memory of the past“He says in one short messagewhich is currently available for some Three clients Send. It continues to read: “Please switch to a new mobile phone now! Your current device is old and will not work anymore or will only work to a very limited extent in a few days.

What it seems at first glance Phishing or Spam emails Makes, is A native And he has one Real background. It's about that 3G network shutdown, Which began at the beginning of 2024.

➤ Read more: The end of 3G in Austria: what does it mean

Until the end of 2024 UMTS/3G It is no longer available in all areas in Austria. This means that some mobile phones then It no longer works as usualUnless they do that Latest 4G standard supports. This is an important note for anyone who uses such devices.

But the problem is that SMS from Drei is also sent to customers, Who are not using an old smartphone. One of the infected people reported it on Reddit. Although he or she Google Pixel 3a Used, he or she has received the message.

Drei only sends the message to customers who are already using non-4G phones, as requested by Futurezone. By sending configuration files, the provider knows What type of device It logs into its network and can filter accordingly. However, this is not entirely accurate.

“Due to different software or mobile phone versions, this may occur in individual cases Scattered losses Come on,” Dre explains, explaining the fact that customers with existing devices also receive the message.

➤ Read more: What Austrian mobile customers do with their smartphones

Contact customer service

“With the aforementioned news, we are addressing customers who are likely to be affected by this, but with one change VoLTE is enabled You can continue to expect good service from the device. “The goal is to ensure that the user experience for our voice telephony customers remains as good as possible, both for voice communications and data usage on mobile phones,” Dre explains in the written response to the inquiry. “It is best for customers who receive the quote message to contact the Drei service team – even if they have never used it before It is possible to activate VoLTE or upgrade to a better device“, says the provider.

Criticism caused by sending messages Uncertainty He comes, not wanting to accept three. “The information via SMS is mostly general, non-marketing, and refers to specialty retailers and our Drei Shops,” says Drei.

Users on Reddit don't see it that way. Although “specialist retailer” is already mentioned in the SMS, the message ends with: “You can find information and cell phone offers at www.drei.at/Handywechsel Your Drei Service Team.” They accuse Drei of deliberately annoying users so that they can buy a new smartphone online from Drei.

Few people are affected

However, the lockdown has had an impact on most mobile customers No consequences. All modern smartphones support later generations in addition to the previous 2G standard, which still exists.

This was the first iPhone to support 4G Iphone 5which was introduced in September 2012. This was Samsung's first Galaxy phone Galaxy S II LTEWhich was announced in September 2011. If your cell phone is incorrect He is 10 years oldYou can assume that 4G is on board.

Old cell phones should not be used solely for security reasons. The number of very old smartphones still in use throughout Austria is recorded by the FMK Less than 2 percent estimated.

➤ Read more: Analysis of 167 studies: This is how mobile phones affect health

SIM card scan

While all current mobile phones are 4G capable, some may not be Old SIM cards The provider does not support the new standards. in three According to official information, you only need to replace the SIM card if your current SIM card is not the right size for the new cell phone, they say.

You are on the safe side A1, provided that the SIM card serial number starts with “A56…” or higher (for example, A57). in purple All SIM cards with the “Magenta” logo printed on them are capable of connecting to the 4G or 5G network. If they have a “T-Mobile” or “T” logo, they must have a serial number starting with “06” through “24.” If you have an incompatible SIM card, you can replace it for free.