Telephone World
Telephone World

Telephone News

T-Mobile shuts down 2G network

From the "I didn't even know it was still around" department. Apparently T-Mobile in the USA shut down their 2G network on Monday August 3, 2026. Were there any customers on the 2G network? Was this the original 2G that T-Mobile had, or was this something they...

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Joybubbles Documentary

(Admin note: I actually talked to Joybubbles a few times before his passing in 2007.) Famous Phone Phreaker Joybubbles is now in a documentary that is being showcased at several viewings throughout the US. I do not know if or when it will be available for wide...

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The End of Landline in Hitchcock, OK

December 24, 2025 - The inevitable has started. AT&T in Oklahoma (former Southwest Bell) is slowly turning off central offices. The first appears to be a small town called Hitchcock, OK, about an hour NW of Oklahoma City. This is a VERY small town that was served...

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The last 4ESS has been shut down

December 11, 2025 (Updated March 2026) - I heard from an industry contact that the Lansing, MI 4ESS switch (LNNGMIMN50T) is slated to be powered off tonight. Traffic through the switch has already been rerouted elsewhere. This is considered to be the last 4ESS in the...

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And now Bell Canada is buying Ziply Fiber

Whose buying whom? Bell Canada is buying Ziply Fiber, which only formed a few years ago and bought former GTE/Verizon/Frontier territory in Washington state, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana. Looks like it will take several years to complete and will cost around C$5...

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Verizon to merge with Frontier

Verizon to merge with Frontier

This goes under the "what are they thinking?" department. Verizon is mostly a wireless company, with a FTTH as a sideline and a copper infrastructure they'd rather get rid of. But they are buying Frontier for the FIOS network they divested themselves from about 10...

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