Verizon has announced December 31, 2022 as the new shutdown date for its 3G CDMA network.

Verizon currently uses 850 and 1900 MHz spectrum for its 3G, both of which could help its 5G rollout. Verizon, in particular, has a shortage of available low-band spectrum to use for its nationwide 5G network, since its 700 MHz spectrum is tied up with its 4G network.

The company has had to resort to Dynamic Spectrum Sharing to switch between 4G and 5G, depending on what devices are connected to a tower. The result is that its nationwide 5G is actually slower than its 4G.

Decommissioning its 3G network would free up valuable spectrum that could help improve its nationwide 5G. The company had previously planned on shutting down its 3G network in 2019, before delaying it to the end of 2020, and then delaying it indefinitely.

Verizon has a now announced it will shut down its 3G network December 31, 2022.

We will turn off the last of the 3G CDMA network on December 31, 2022, months after our competitors have shut off their networks completely. The date will not be extended again. We’re communicating this again now in order to provide customers plenty of time to complete their migration.