Response to interpellation 2025/26:206 on the consequences of shut down 2G and 3G networks
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns the consequences of shut down 2G and 3G networks. KD considers that the mobile operators have the responsibility to inform users and manage consequences since the license conditions are technology-neutral 1. KD argues that one cannot introduce separate legislation without testing cases against existing legislation 2 3, that the authority has acted quickly and professionally 3, that the government has done all they can since the shutdown has been well-known for five years 4, as well as that it is not necessary to paint a black scenario since the consumer protection legislation is in place 4. S considers it a market failure that 4G phones that cannot reach SOS Alarm are sold 5. S argues that the government should take initiative so that those affected do not suffer financial damage 5 6, ensure that consumers are protected 7 and that persons who are affected feel secure in being able to reach 112 7. S argues that there is a risk of a gap between phones that have already stopped working and those that are to be phased out 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)
Madam Speaker! Isak From has asked me what consequence analysis I and the government have conducted now that even relatively new 4G mobile phones stop working when the 2G network is shut down. Isak From has also asked me if I and the government intend to take any initiatives so that the elderly do not suffer financial damage from the Post and Telecom Authority's decision.
I want to begin by stating that the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority, i.e., PTS, issues permits for the use of radio frequencies and that the permit conditions are technology-neutral. It is therefore the mobile operators who decide which services shall be provided in the networks and which technology shall be used. They also have the responsibility towards the users to carry out changes in a responsible manner, including by identifying challenges, informing about upcoming changes in the range of services, and offering the users good support to manage the consequences that the changes may have.
PTS has for several years now had the government's mandate to monitor and report on how the decommissioning of the copper networks as well as the 2G and 3G networks is proceeding and to monitor the consequences of the technological shift. The mandate includes monitoring which information efforts are carried out due to the decommissioning. The mandate also includes reporting on what replacement solutions are offered in cases where electronic communication services have been dependent on the networks that are now being decommissioned.
Within the framework of the assignment, PTS has held a dialogue with the operators. At a late stage, it was revealed that certain customers will not be able to reach SOS Alarm via 112 in a satisfactory manner without using emergency roaming, even though the phones can use 4G for regular calls. Post and Telecom Authority initiated a supervisory case on November 14 for this reason.
Operators are legally required to assist in relaying emergency calls via the emergency number 112. They are also required to relay the information required for SOS Alarm to be able to locate the person in distress. Even if the user's regular operator lacks coverage or has suffered a disconnection, calls to 112 can be connected via another operator's network provided that some other operator has coverage. This is what is called emergency roaming, and it is a very important safety measure.
PTS decided on 21 November on an injunction directed towards the actors who are shutting down their 2G networks. The injunction includes, among other things, requirements to identify which customers are affected and to directly contact those whose phones are affected. The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority's assessment in the injunction is that emergency roaming in another actor's network cannot be the only solution for making emergency calls and that the starting point must be that a functioning telephone service shall be able to relay calls to the emergency number 112 via its own network.
In December, the government summoned the mobile operators to inquire about the situation and to emphasize that the government expects them to do everything they can to contact and help the customers affected. I continue to follow the situation closely and will, of course, not hesitate to summon the mobile operators again if necessary.
A consumer's right to compensation if he or she has purchased a 4G phone that has lost the ability to make emergency calls is a matter that must be tested against current legislation, and the individual case must be decided in accordance with the rules that exist. A consumer who has purchased such a phone can first turn to his or her operator or retailer. If the consumer is not compensated, this person can turn to the National Board for Consumer Disputes.
I fully understand that it can be burdensome for the affected users to change phones or operators. At the same time, we cannot risk that people in distress cannot reach 112 via their phones. I expect all affected companies to take their responsibility and help their customers in the best possible way.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner, for a long and substantial answer!
I and the Minister debated the shutdown of the 2G and 3G networks in September 2024, which was almost one and a half years ago. At that time, the starting point was the usage by the business sector and the municipalities, not least from the perspective that alarm systems and various services that are important for the business sector would disappear.
I would say that I fundamentally shared the Minister for Civil Affairs' position that this is a market issue. It is the market and the telecommunications operators who must ensure that the transition actually works. But one reads and is contacted about such a market failure as it must be that 4G phones that will not work continue to be sold. This does raise questions.
The Minister for Civil Affairs is also the Minister for Consumer Affairs. This is completely unreasonable and undoubtedly a market failure. In recent days, there have been news reports that these phones continue to be sold – most often to elderly people. It is usually a cheaper variant with large numbers, which are easy for elderly people to use.
The question therefore becomes: Has the government and the Minister for Consumer Affairs done what is reasonably required? I understand from the answer that the operators have been called in for talks, and that can obviously be good. But since this is a situation that continues after it has been discovered, it still feels as though the Minister for Consumer Affairs should take an initiative. It would be reasonable for him here in the chamber to account for what measures are intended to be taken for those people, mostly elderly, who in this case are obviously deceived in one way or another – intentionally or unintentionally.
It is still those who sell these products on the market who have the responsibility to ensure that what they sell is actually usable. Now it has emerged that 4G phones that do not have the necessary connection function to reach SOS Alarm continue to be sold. I think the PTS's actions have been reasonable; it cannot be that phones that cannot be used are sold. However, the market continues to sell these phones to consumers, and I actually feel that is a deception. It would be reasonable for the Minister for Consumer Affairs to act.
Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)
Madam Speaker! I will begin by saying that we had a number of debates on this issue during last year and that I think the Social Democrats then at times gave the impression of having a different view on this. They gave the impression that they wanted to force the operators to wait with closing down the 2G and 3G networks, even though we until now have always agreed that technology neutrality shall apply in the allocation of the frequency bands.
The operators have now chosen to shut down the 2G network because it is practically unused and we need more 5G in our networks. This was needed for many different reasons, both from a consumer perspective and from a business and innovation perspective. Fundamentally, it is therefore good that we fill the networks with new technology – that we replace old technology with new technology.
This technological shift has been known for many years. It has been known for five years that this would be decommissioned, and various authorities and actors have been tasked – and have also taken on the task – of informing about this. This has, on the whole, been handled very well. We have also, in various rounds, tasked PTS with carrying out consequence analyses and monitoring the decommissioning so that it proceeds as smoothly as possible.
Now, the decommissioning of the 2G and 3G networks has occurred at three of the operators. Telia is delaying its shutdown of the 2G network until 2027. So far, we have not seen any incidents due to this. It is possible that they will occur in the future – the year is still new – but so far there have been no known incidents.
Just as Isak From says, I am also responsible for consumer issues, Madam Speaker. We have strong consumer protection legislation in Sweden today, and I mean that we cannot have special legislation on the grounds that the 2G network is being switched off in Sweden. Instead, it must be examined against the legislation that exists. As far as I know, no case has been initiated at the National Board for Consumer Disputes. Again: I say "as far as I know" – it may have happened, but I have not received information so far that any case has been initiated.
My hope is truly that those who have recently purchased phones in the belief, and perhaps even based on information that, they will also be able to make emergency calls, will also receive compensation for the expense they have incurred. In my contact with the telecommunications operators, they have also said that they will be generous and offer new phones at a very discounted price to replace and help their customers.
We also do not know if this is always the only phone the customer has. Many times it can also be the case that one has several phones, from some kind of standby perspective or otherwise, so it is not certain that this is every time the only phone that exists in the household. One can also have other phones that one uses. But it obviously looks very different, and we can only speculate about that.
If it is the case that one has purchased a phone during the last three years that turns out not to work, one can report it as an original defect, and then the business operator – the retailer – must actually compensate the consumer. If the retailer does not do so, the consumer can turn to the National Board for Consumer Disputes, which will then make an assessment of what applies and what does not. We have not had any such court case until now, but it will be very exciting to see what the board will come to in that case.
My great hope, however, is that the customers who are now affected will be able to receive help either from the retailer or via their telecom operator.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for Civil Affairs for the answer.
The Consumer Agency and PTS have jointly pointed out that the shutdown is a major issue. It is something that affects more than just individual households. I also mean that part of the reason why Telia continues to operate its network until 2027 is that not all customers have had the opportunity to switch, and in that case, Telia should be commended. Telia is also the operator with the largest network, not least in rural and remote areas. It is clear that an additional reason is that there may be a number of safety alarms, elevators, and payment terminals that still run on this old technology and need to be phased out.
Our position from the Social Democratic side is that consumers must be held harmless in this case. It cannot be that the market, at the consumers' expense, makes money on a technology that actually stops working.
I thank the Minister for Civil Affairs for the hope and hope that it is sufficient. One should, however, listen to not least the pension organizations. Among others, PRO demands that politics must act so that individual consumers, mostly elderly people, feel that they have security. If you are a serious dealer, you should naturally assist in the exchange for a phone that works with the network. If there are actors who do not do that, it is indeed reprehensible and something that must be condemned in every way.
It feels, however, as though there is reason to continue following the issue, as the ministers usually say. The minister can, here, answer what is intended to be done if indications arise. The minister has in his answer stated that he, in that case, intends to call the market and the relevant actors together again, and that is welcome. But I still think it is completely unacceptable that individual pensioners, which is what it is usually about, should suffer financial damage due to a market failure.
Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)
Madam Speaker! Absolutely! I also said in my response to the interpellation that we continue to follow the issue, and of course, we do.
One must remember that this information was new to the Post and Telecom Authority. It arrived in the autumn. We were, therefore, a bit caught off guard; we can certainly admit that we were. That is also why we acted so quickly, and that is why PTS in November – very shortly after the information arrived – initiated a supervisory case. Just one week after the case was started, orders were also issued. I must therefore say that the authority has acted in a very swift and irreproachable manner. This has been handled very professionally, I really must say.
Very quickly after this, I also called in the telecom operators to have a conversation with them. It was a fairly frank and sincere conversation where I described what expectations I have of the telecom operators and that it was not satisfactory that the information arrived as late as it did. I still think that the government and authorities, given the conditions that existed, acted very quickly in the robust and resolute manner that we could.
So far, 7,000 phones have been blocked, just so that we do not have phones that one cannot make emergency calls with. PTS estimates that approximately 60,000 phones will need to be blocked in the near future. It is possible to reach SOS Alarm with them today, but with a delay. That is not satisfactory. Therefore, they will also be blocked.
Let us now test this against the relevant consumer protection legislation. Sure, one can say that the Minister stands and hopes that this will suffice. But we have a strong consumer protection. It is also difficult to know whether these phones have been sold with knowledge or ignorance of the fact that they will not work. It may look a bit different. But as long as they are purchased from serious retailers, I am convinced that this will be replaced.
Again: The telecommunications operators have also stated that they are willing to help their customers with new phones at discounted prices. In the end, there is also the National Board for Consumer Disputes to turn to.
I do not really know what the Social Democrats expect to be done. What legislation should be used to protect precisely those consumers who have been affected in this specific issue? It is difficult to create that type of special legislation.
My hope, but also my belief, as I said, is that it will be possible to resolve this within the framework of the consumer protection legislation we already have.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! The government governs the realm. I do not believe that new legislation is needed. On the other hand, it is important that the government ensures to ensure.
When I wrote the interpellation at the beginning of December, I was in contact with the Consumer Agency. They stated at that time that the information they had had been sent out to the operators. That was probably one of the reasons why the government had a meeting with the operators. Since then, the Consumer Agency has received signals that the information has not been sent out to all retailers. It is very important.
It is about the gap. I agree that consumers should be held harmless. They should receive a new product. Just as the Minister says, it is 7,000 phones that have stopped working. If there are 60,000 more that will be phased out, there is a risk that a gap will occur in between and that there are people who believe they have a functioning product but who will not be able to reach 112.
It is there that I believe the government, in its capacity as the government, must ensure that they have done everything in their power so that people who may be affected will still feel a sense of security in having a functioning service if they become ill and need to reach 112 in some way. Then, resources and measures need to be allocated so that the market, in this case, functions.
Civilministern Erik Slottner (KD)
Mr. Speaker! 60,000 phones is a lot. It also sounds like a lot. At the same time, one must know that there are several million phones in circulation in Sweden. It is important to remember that. Sometimes a figure can sound very high, but in relation to another figure, it still becomes quite low in context.
It is not clear that it is 60,000 phones. We do not know how many subscribers it concerns. We do not know, for example, if some households affected own several phones of that kind.
When it comes to this matter of the government having to do everything in its power, I think we have done everything we can. Isak From insinuates that the government is sitting with its arms crossed and doing nothing. We have been very active in this issue. The shutdown has been well-known for five years. We have given several actors a mandate to spread information about this.
The telecommunications operators have also been very active in this issue. At the meeting I had with them on December 12, it emerged that they are making individual contact. They try to reach the concerned parties by calling. But many do not answer, because people have learned not to answer unknown numbers. Then they send SMS messages. As a final step, they can send physical letters. They do everything they can to reach their end customers. They naturally want to maintain good customer relations as well as they can. It was still reassuring to hear this from them.
We do not need to unnecessarily paint a black scenario that everything will become a catastrophe for these people. I do not think it will be so; we have consumer protection legislation where the retailers have their responsibility. If they do not fulfill their responsibility, we have the National Board for Consumer Disputes, which will have its say. In this case, we also have telecommunications operators who are very keen on their customers and want to help them in the absolute best way.
I both hope and am convinced that this will be resolved in a good way. It is something we are both very concerned about.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.