AT&T Kills Original iPhone, No More 2G

Yes, the original iPhone is still alive in the hands of many users, but not for long. AT&T is finally letting go of the first generation of smartphones that Apple created along with 2G wireless connection. Before the carrier’s announcement, the unit could actually still be used as a subpar portal to the web. Once the changes occur, this will no longer be the case.

The very first iPhone was exclusive to AT&T when it became available to the American public, which was equipped with 2G connectivity, PC Mag reports. Once that particular wireless setup gets cut off, the unit will stop receiving cellular data and can no longer call, text, or connect to the internet via mobile data.

Naturally, many will wonder if there are even that many original iPhones for this news to make much of an impact, and the answer is not really. This is more of a symbolic gesture on the part of AT&T with regards to an iconic device that ushered in a new industry of mobile gadgets. After all, even though Apple wasn’t the first to think of creating a smartphone, it was the first to actually create the device that everyone else mimicked.

According to the blog post that the carrier released, the 2G spectrum that will become vacant will be used to instead start streaming LTE connection. With last generation’s connectivity still being used by numerous handsets, it’s just a logical choice as far as resource allocation goes.

“Today, our 3G and 4G LTE networks cover 99% of Americans,” the post reads. “By shutting down our 2G network, this frees up more spectrum for future network technologies, including 5G. In the next few months, we plan to repurpose that spectrum for LTE.”

On that note, this change doesn’t just affect the oldest iPhone of them all since there are other, less popular mobile units that rely on 2G connectivity. Many of them are able to connect to 3G, but those that can’t, will lose their connection as well.