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Verizon AT&T Network Shift for Eastern Kentucky Alarm Companies

sun setting behind a cell phone tower

There is a nation-wide network transition in progress issued by AT&T and Verizon to LTE from 3G/4G networks. LTE (Long-Term Evolution) is a standard for wireless broadband commu­ni­cation that offers superior coverage and perfor­mance compared to the 3G/4G service networks. All devices that currently commu­nicate via these networks (older cell phones, power gauges and security systems), will no longer be supported after 2021. Actually, as regular cellular towers need repairs, some carriers are choosing to upgrade to LTE and 5G throughout 2020.

While the network transition and techno­logical advances are necessary, this impacts security systems across the United States, regardless of the security provider, as they currently use 3G/4G networks to send alarm signals to monitoring centers. 

To continue to keep having complete protection, you may need to replace your system’s cellular commu­ni­cator with a new one. If you are a Bates Security customer, our profes­sional team will make this update as easy and as cost-effective as possible! Simply contact our service department to see if your system needs attention!

What is 3G/4G Cellular Sunset?

AT&T and Verizon have announced that their shutdown (Sunset) will be expected 2020 – 2021. This shutdown will not occur at once but instead will sporad­i­cally shut down across the country as cellular towers need mainte­nance work.

Why are networks shutting down their 3G/4G cellular connectivity?

As smart­phone technology is requiring faster speed and room for growth, data use on cellular networks is increasing. With a smaller percentage of customers using 3G/4G capable devices, the cellular companies no longer want to maintain their slower network. Shutting down the 3G/4G cellular networks and using that space for LTE and 5G networks will drasti­cally increase data capacity and speed on the newer networks.

How does the 3G/4G cellular sunset affect your system?

Most alarm systems were installed prior to the LTE network release and can only commu­nicate to the monitoring centers via the 3G/4G cellular network. When the 3G/4G networks officially shutdown, these security and fire alarm systems will no longer be able to commu­nicate alarm signals to monitoring centers.