topic Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off? in Discussions & Feedback

Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

NFH — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 17:30:50 GMT

O₂ has never supported three functionalities for pay-as-you-go customers:

Given that O₂ will be switching off 3G later in 2025, thereby preventing calls on 3G, will O₂ finally support 4G calling so that customers can make and receive calls on 4G instead of on 3G? Ir not, customers will experience a deterioration in voice coverage.

Is O₂'s current lack of support for 4G calling caused by the same technical limitation (such as an old back-end system for pay-as-you-go) as its lack of support for wifi calling and eSIM?

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

MI5 — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 23:28:31 GMT

No one here will know and it's been raised many times before on the forum.

We're all waiting for an announcement one way or another.

Possibility is that everyone will be moved to giffgaff who already offer all the above functions.

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

madasaf1sh — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 08:52:52 GMT

@NFH

O2 are only starting to switch off 3G in 2025, it wont completely disappear...

Looking at Tesco Mobile who use o2, they are getting rid completely of their classic PAYG offering (lite and Triple Credit) at the end of 2025 and moving everyone to a bundle plan which means they can move to offering VoLTE (4G Calling) so I can see the following (all speculation)

1. o2 will kill off Classic PAYG and everyone on PAYG will be forced onto a Rolling Plan which can only be paid for by Debit or Credit card, no more voucher sales (these cost money to provide via 3rd Parties), which means they can migrate all PAYG customer to the Pay Monthly platform

2. o2 will kill off PAYG completely and mass port everyone to giffgaff, and then they dont need to do any migration from one platform to another, and the customer gets 5G, WiFi Calling and VoLTE, and they save money as giffgaff don't have centres and its all down to live agent or community help...

As I and others have said this is all speculation, and o2 will not publicly announce something on here, before it happens..

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

Oxonian — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:00:06 GMT

In my view @madasaf1sh, and this is also pure speculation, 2 is more likely than 1.

As giffgaff (sic) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of O2, It should be both legal and straightforward to move PAYG customers in tranches and with their credit intact. However, closing the PAYG service would presumably involve having to give refunds and could potentially get messy ! 👍

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

NFH — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:17:32 GMT

The other three MNOs (Vodafone, EE and Three) all provide PAYG services, including 4G calling, wifi calling and eSIM. Why should O₂ be any different?

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

Enlli — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:36:35 GMT

@NFH Commercial Decision the answer to which we will never know

If you want those things then go with the network that is best for you.

BTW giffgaff will work in old PAYG mode

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

Enlli — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:36:02 GMT

@Oxonian Virgin had a large number of PAYG customers and they managed to close it down.

Can't see it being different for O2

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

NFH — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:36:38 GMT

When did O₂ make this "Commercial Decision" to cease its PAYG service, potentially with one of the two outcomes listed above?

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

Oxonian — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:45:03 GMT

They have not done so yet @NFH, or if they have, they have not announced it. That is why @madasaf1sh and I have both said our comments are speculation. 👍

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

madasaf1sh — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:45:51 GMT

@NFH

No one on here know about any commercial decisions that VMo2 are making as none of us work for VMo2, we are all customers, so all we are doing is speculating..

Virgin closed it down as it made no money..

And let's remember PAYG is a loss leader, and makes very little ARPU (Average Revenue Per User), which is what counts, especially Classic PAYG hence Tesco Mobile, one of the largest MVNO's are killing it off..

And remember o2 dont have to offer any PAYG service if they dont want to.. they are not a charity or a bound by law to offer PAYG

Nothing stopping Vodafone moving its customers to Voxi or Three to Smarty or even EE to 1p Mobile if they so desired..

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

Oxonian — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:48:31 GMT

@Enlli wrote:
@Oxonian Virgin had a large number of PAYG customers and they managed to close it down.
Can't see it being different for O2

You could be correct @Enlli. I just foresee efforts to persuade customers to move to Pay Monthly and then those that remain being moved sideways to giffgaff (sic).

I am sure that we will find out in the Autumn. 👍

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

NFH — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:50:36 GMT

@madasaf1shThanks, but this leads me to ask my question again - the other three MNOs (Vodafone, EE and Three) all provide PAYG services. Therefore on what basis do so many believe that O₂ wants to cease its PAYG service?

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

pgn — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 19:58:23 GMT

Educated guess and past history, @NFH

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

NFH — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 20:01:58 GMT

@pgn For what reasons? Why specifically O₂ as opposed to the other three MNOs?

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

madasaf1sh — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 20:07:05 GMT

@NFH

Purely and simply: Money and on the current platform they cant offer any of the likes of 4G calling, Wifi Calling or even 5G, so it makes sense to either kill off Classic PAYG and move everyone to Bundles based PAYG, or just wholesale move everyone to the giffgaff platform which already supports all these features..

With the news from Tesco, then I can see them killing off Classic PAYG, and all PAYG customers been moved to Bundles or Rolling Plans...

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

Enlli — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 20:12:00 GMT

@NFH Without being rude I notice you were raising similar five years ago.

What has enticed you to stay?

https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Discussions-Feedback/Prepaid-customers-treated-as-2nd-class-customers-through-denied/td-p/1358066

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

pgn — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 20:15:24 GMT

And the apparent disgust when asking O2 CS to help with a PAYG problem (in person in an O2 shop or via normal support channels), @NFH

Re: Will O₂ finally support 4G calling ahead of its impending 3G switch off?

NFH — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 08:00:54 GMT

@EnlliTo answer your question, my questions are primarily in relation to a relative who has the Classic PAYG tariff. Although my own secondary UK number is likewise on O₂'s Classic PAYG, I don't actively use it because of these issues, and instead I use an Irish eSIM roaming mostly on O₂ UK, for which I pay €1.60/GB anywhere in the UK/EU/EEA (except Ireland).

Nevertheless thank you for quoting my post from 5 years ago. This highlights O₂'s long delay in implementing these standard network features. More than 5 years ago, O₂ promised "We’re not currently offering eSIM to our Pay As You Go customers. We’re working on this and it won’t be long before we can offer eSIMs to all our customers with compatible phones". After its failure to deliver this, O₂ has since changed the wording.