2G Shutdown in France: Complete Field Coverage Verification Guide Before March 31, 2026

On March 31, 2026, Orange shuts down 2G in 9 departments of southwestern France. That is 14 days from now. SFR and Bouygues Telecom follow in the coming months. By year-end, virtually all of metropolitan France will have lost its 2G network.

This is not a surprise. It is a planned, delayed, and finally executed timeline. But between planning and field reality, there is a gap that only massive verification campaigns can close.

The Scale of Migration

Numbers That Frame the Problem

Indicator	Value
Orange 2G shutdown date (phase 1)	March 31, 2026
Departments affected (phase 1)	9 (Southwest)
Extension to rest of mainland	Fall 2026
Connected devices still on 2G/3G in France	3.2 million
Elevators dependent on 2G/3G	290,000 out of 650,000
Elevators requiring migration (regulatory mandate)	50% of fleet
Operators worldwide shutting down 2G/3G	278 in 83 countries
French operators affected	Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom

What Is Affected (and Often Overlooked)

The 2G shutdown does not just affect legacy handsets. It impacts a massive M2M/IoT ecosystem:

• Elevators: 290,000 units still use GSM modules for emergency alarms. A government decree mandates migration, but the fleet is far from ready.
• Gas/water meters: first-generation connected meters communicate via GPRS (2G).
• Alarm systems: remote alarms, security monitoring, intrusion alarms with GSM transmission.
• Payment terminals: some mobile POS devices still operate on 2G modules.
• Vehicles: first-generation eCall systems use 2G/3G.
• Connected agriculture: weather sensors, automated irrigation stations in rural areas.

The risk is not loss of convenience. It is loss of critical service. An elevator without a functioning emergency alarm is a non-compliant elevator. A gas meter without telemetry is a blind meter.

Why Field Verification Is Non-Negotiable

The Theoretical Radio Plan Is Not Enough

Operators have modeled replacement 4G coverage. Planning tools (Atoll, Planet, ASSET) produce predictive coverage maps. But modeling is not reality.

Common discrepancies between planning and field:

• Indoor propagation: 4G at 700 MHz (Band 28) penetrates buildings better than 2G at 900 MHz in some cases, but basements and parking garages remain problematic
• Shadow effects: new buildings, seasonal vegetation, obstacles not referenced in the digital terrain model
• Interference: 4G densification to compensate for 2G can create unplanned inter-cell interference
• Network parameters: cell selection/reselection parameters must be tuned to ensure IoT terminals correctly attach to 4G

A propagation model is an estimate. The field is certainty. And when elevator emergency alarms are at stake, certainty is a legal obligation.

Verification Methodology: 5 Steps

Step 1: Critical Zone Inventory

Before any field campaign, identify sites where 2G loss is critical:

• Buildings with elevators equipped with GSM emergency alarms
• Rural areas where 2G was the only technology with indoor coverage
• Industrial sites with 2G IoT sensors
• Coverage edge zones where 2G provided a safety net

Step 2: Indoor Walk Test Pre-Shutdown

Measure 4G coverage before shutdown in critical zones:

• RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power): minimum threshold -110 dBm for reliable service
• RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality): minimum threshold -15 dB
• SINR: minimum threshold 0 dB to maintain stable data connection
• 4G attachment verification: terminal must attach without falling back to 2G/3G

Step 3: Post-Shutdown Verification

After the 2G switch-off, repeat measurements in the same zones:

• Confirm IoT terminals have attached to 4G (no service loss)
• Verify minimum data throughput for M2M applications (often < 100 kbps suffices, but the connection must be stable)
• Measure latency for real-time applications (emergency alarm: < 5 seconds)
• Map any 4G coverage holes that appeared

Step 4: Layer 3 Analysis of Attachment Behavior

This is the step most verification campaigns neglect. Layer 3 decoding (RRC and NAS messages) reveals:

• Attach Reject with cause #7 (EPS services not allowed) or #15 (no suitable cells) indicating terminals unable to attach to 4G
• TAU Reject revealing internal roaming issues between tracking areas
• Residual 2G/3G fallback attempts: if the terminal still scans 2G frequencies after shutdown, this indicates misconfiguration or an obsolete module
• Service Reject for voice services if the terminal does not support VoLTE

Step 5: Cartography and Anomaly Reporting

Generate georeferenced anomaly maps:

• Zones without sufficient 4G coverage (RSRP < -110 dBm indoor)
• Sites with repeated attachment failures
• Zones where IoT modules lose connection after shutdown
• Before/after comparison with map overlay

Required Modules for a Complete Campaign

A 2G/3G shutdown verification campaign requires multiple combined tools:

RF Monitor

Continuous measurement of RF levels (RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, RSSI) across all present technologies. Real-time visibility on whether 4G coverage compensates for 2G loss.

Walk Test

Georeferenced measurement recording while walking. Essential for indoor verification (buildings, basements, parking garages, elevator shafts).

L3 Decoder

Real-time decoding of RRC and NAS messages to analyze terminal attachment behavior. Detects rejections, fallbacks, and protocol anomalies.

Cartography

Automatic generation of georeferenced coverage maps from field measurements. Exportable output for optimization teams and operator reports.

Speed Test

Data throughput verification in critical zones. Even if IoT applications do not need high throughput, data connection stability must be confirmed.

The Global Timeline: France Is Not Alone

The 2G/3G shutdown is a worldwide movement:

Country	Technology	Timeline
France (Orange)	2G	March 31, 2026 (phase 1)
France (SFR, Bouygues)	2G	2026
Spain	2G/3G	2026
Netherlands	2G/3G	2026
Japan (NTT DoCoMo, KDDI)	3G	March 2026
Global total	2G/3G	278 operators in 83 countries

Every shutdown in every country generates the same needs: inventory, field measurement, post-shutdown verification, anomaly mapping.

What Field Teams Must Do Now

For the 9 Southwestern Departments (Immediate Urgency)

1. Identify all buildings with elevators in affected departments
2. Measure 4G indoor coverage in elevator shafts and basements
3. Verify 4G attachment of emergency alarm modules with a Layer 3 decoder
4. Document problematic zones with georeferenced cartography
5. Transmit results to optimization teams for corrective action before March 31

For the Rest of France (Preparing for Fall 2026)

1. Map zones where 2G was the only technology with indoor coverage
2. Plan walk test campaigns in critical buildings
3. Anticipate requests for 4G densification in identified deficit zones
4. Train field teams on multi-technology verification tools

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The 2G shutdown is not an end. It is a transition. And like any transition, it is measured in the field, not on a spreadsheet. Teams that start verification today will avoid tomorrow’s emergencies.