m2mmanager
As previously communicated in May 2024, French operators have announced the progressive shutdown of 2G and 3G networks. Below is a reminder of the shutdown dates:
Orange information: In mainland France, from 2026, Orange will switch off its 2G network in several successive waves across 9 departments in the South-West:
31 March 2026: in the urban area of Biarritz, Anglet, Bayonne (French Basque Country 64)
12 May 2026: in Landes (40) and the rest of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)
09 June 2026: in Ariège (09), Haute-Garonne (31), Gers (32), Lot (46), Lot-et-Garonne (47), Hautes-Pyrénées (65) and Tarn-et-Garonne (82)
And from late September 2026: 2G will be permanently switched off in the rest of mainland France. By the end of December 2026, 2G should therefore have completely disappeared from Orange’s mobile network in mainland France.
In the French West Indies and French Guiana, the 2G switch-off is also planned for 2026 and will take place in several successive waves:
First successive waves:
21 April 2026: 2G switch-off in Guadeloupe (Lamentin, Abymes, Baie-Mahault) and in French Guiana (Cayenne and Rémire-Montjoly).
19 May 2026: 2G switch-off in Martinique (Le Lamentin), in Saint-Martin (Peatree Hill, Rambaud and Marigot) and in Saint-Barthélemy (Cul de Sac, Quatre Vents and Colombier).
Then a general roll-out across all territories, spread from 29 September to 26 November 2026.
In Réunion, the 2G switch-off was already completed in 2025.-
Bouygues Telecom information: Bouygues’ 2G switch-off will take place according to the following schedule:
From 15 November 2026, as a preparatory phase, in an initial area limited to Bouygues Telecom network sites deployed in the municipalities and postcodes listed below: BREST (29200), GUIPAVAS (29490), NANCY (54000 and 54100) and VANDOEUVRE-LES-NANCY (54500).
From 1 December 2026 to 15 December, as part of its wider rollout across mainland France. -
SFR information:
Mainland France: 15 November 2026 (SFR)
Réunion & Mayotte: 30/11/26 (SRR)
French Guiana: 20/08/2026 (Outremer Telecom)
Martinique: 24/09/2026 (Outremer Telecom)
Guadeloupe: 22/10/2026 (Outremer Telecom)
Following the planned phase-out of these technologies, connected devices that are not compatible with more recent cellular technologies such as 4G or 5G will no longer be able to connect to the aforementioned operators' networks.
As a reminder, for equipment to operate on 4G networks, three prerequisites are necessary:
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A 4G-compatible SIM card,
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A 4G-compatible subscription,
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A 4G-compatible module (hardware).
It is important to note that voice calls are currently made via "circuit/GSM" mode on 2G or 3G networks. Once these networks are completely decommissioned, no voice or SMS communications will be possible on these technologies.
Some of your SIERRA WIRELESS (SEMTECH) SIM cards are only compatible with 2G/3G networks and will never be able to access 4G networks.
When the 2G and 3G technologies are shut down, older versions of SIERRA WIRELESS SIM cards earlier than version V4 will not function on 4G networks, even if these SIM cards are used in 4G modules.
It is therefore imperative to replace these SIM cards before the 2G and 3G services are discontinued with 4G-compatible SIM cards to ensure that your 4G-compatible equipment continues to operate.
Access to 4G Networks and New Technologies Such as VoLTE and LPWAN on Other SIERRA WIRELESS SIM Versions.
Other versions of SIERRA WIRELESS SIM cards are 4G-compatible. However, we have not yet received confirmation from SIERRA WIRELESS that these SIM cards will provide access to all 4G services such as VoLTE, SMSoIP, LPWAN NB-IoT, or LTE-M.
Additionally, some customers have reported that their SIERRA WIRELESS SIM cards are no longer connecting to SFR’s network, including certain multi-IMSI V4 and V5 versions that previously had access. We have not received official information from SIERRA WIRELESS regarding roaming agreements or the available technologies for each SIM card version, despite multiple follow-ups on our part.
Since November 2024, SIERRA WIRELESS has discontinued the ordering of V4 and V5 SIM cards as they have ceased production. However, you may continue to activate existing V4 and V5 cards in your stock.
For your future projects, we remain fully capable of offering solutions from other operators. Our teams are available to assist you during this transition.
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By phone: +33(0)4 88 36 07 40 (choice 4)
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By email: helpme@matooma.com
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Via your M2Mmanager account: My Requests menu