2G shutdown – consequences for the Truma iNetBox

Note: There is an updated info in the blog post from January 2023 here. Below is the article from August 2020.

We are currently receiving many questions about the consequences of 2G switch-off in Switzerland.

What is 2G and why is it being switched off?

The abbreviation 2G stands for GSM mobile phone standard of the second generation. The mobile phone standard 2G was introduced in Germany in 1992. With each generation (3G, 4G) the transmission speed was improved. 4G (LTE) is currently the measure of all things and is sufficient for the transmission of large data within seconds.

Frequency ranges that are currently still occupied are required for the planned fifth generation of the radio and transmission standard. A replacement in the existing frequency range is therefore much cheaper than a complete new setup.

Why is 2G switched off in Switzerland and 3G in Germany?

Mobile networks are the property of the respective providers. Therefore this decision is up to them. Manufacturers who use 2G in their products have to comply.

Of course, the economy also has a certain influence on this decision. In Germany, for example, a large part of industrial applications rely on the 2G network, as this is the main means of control.

2G is easy to implement, secure, robust and “available everywhere”. This was also the status quo at the time of development of our Truma iNetBox.

Who is now affected by the shutdown and what happens next?

This is not so easy to answer. The Swiss mobile phone providers Salt and SwissCom have already announced a date for switching off the 2G mobile phone standard. There is also information and statements from other European countries regarding the switch-off of 2G. However, these change regularly.

If you have any information for us, please feel free to comment here below the article. We will also update our findings there.

Recently it was confirmed that Sunrise remains an alternative and will provide 2G until at least 2022.

https://www.sunrise.ch/en/medium-and-large-enterprises/products-and-solutions/connectivity/2G-weiterhin-nutzen-sunrise.html

In Germany, 2G will remain. Instead, it was decided to shut down 3G.

This leads to the following restrictions:

If you live in Switzerland or spend your vacations there, you can no longer use the remote control of the Truma iNetBox (if there are no alternative providers available, e.g. via roaming) because the box can no longer dial into the network.

Is there an adapter from 2G to 3G or higher?

Yes, for industrial applications there are now gateway solutions which are used as stand-alone devices to amplify the radio frequency. Unfortunately, this does not make sense technically and economically for the Truma iNetBox. Many companies are currently working on a cloud-based solution for their systems in order to be able to continue to use the service and function of mobile device control.

How is Truma dealing with this situation?

Truma informed its sales partners about the 2G switch-off and its consequences for the iNet Box at the turn of the year 19/20 via print and online channels.

A successor product is also being planned. However, there will be no upgrade of the existing devices.