When are 2G and 3G switching off in India?
Basic phones and flip phones make calls over 2G, 3G or 4G calling (VoLTE). Here's when each network switches 2G and 3G off, and what that means for your phone.
As of 25 October 2026
Every network
Smaller networks use a big network's masts, so they have its 2G and 3G and its dates.
| Network | Uses | 2G | 3G |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airtel | Own masts | OnSwitch-off date: not confirmedAirtel kept 2G for feature-phone users when it closed 3G. Source | OffSwitch-off date: not confirmedClosed circle by circle from June 2019. Source |
| Jio | Own masts | Never had it Source | Never had it Source |
| Vi (Vodafone Idea) | Own masts | OnSwitch-off date: not confirmed Source | Switching offSwitch-off date: not confirmedOff in some circles by January 2024; Vi aimed to finish by March 2025, which we haven't seen confirmed. Source |
“Not confirmed” means the network hasn't announced a date we could find, or we couldn't confirm it. We don't estimate dates.
What it means for a basic phone
- While a network still runs 2G, almost any basic phone can make calls on it.
- After 2G and 3G are gone, a phone can only make calls with 4G calling (VoLTE). The phone has to support it, and the network has to turn it on for that phone. Many networks only do that for phones they've approved.
- A phone without 4G calling may still show signal and use 4G data, but it can't make or take calls.
- A phone we've confirmed makes 4G calls on your network isn't affected by either switch-off.
As of 25 Oct 2026, none of the 6 basic phones sold in India is confirmed to make 4G calls on all 3 big networks.
See which phones make 4G calls on each network
Each network's page lists the phones we've confirmed on it: Airtel, Jio, Vi (Vodafone Idea). All networks
Last updated 25 October 2026. How we check