Spectrum Refarming and Technology Migration
This dataset provides a comprehensive overview of spectrum refarming initiatives by mobile network operators, detailing the migration from legacy technologies (2G/3G) to advanced networks (4G/5G). It includes shutdown timelines, subscriber migration strategies, device compatibility notes, frequency reallocation details, and regulatory approval status, making it ideal for telecom planning, regulatory analysis, and market forecasting.
Sample rows
preview · 8 of 110 rows · all 15 columns| refarming_idinteger | frequency_band_legacystring | estimated_affected_subscribersinteger | frequency_band_targetstring | countrystring | operator_namestring | legacy_technologystring | target_technologystring | shutdown_announced_datedate | shutdown_effective_datedate | regulatory_approval_statusstring | last_updateddatetime | subscriber_migration_planstring | device_compatibility_notesstring | network_decommissioning_planstring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | 900 MHz | 2100000 | 1800 MHz | Nigeria | MTN Nigeria | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | 2023-09-12 | 2024-06-20 | Pending | 2024-06-15T14:45:21 | Multi-channel outreach via SMS, call centers, and retail stores to inform subscribers and assist with SIM upgrades. | Free SIM swaps offered in rural regions; device upgrade incentives available for legacy phone users. | Phased shutdown starting with urban centers, followed by regional sites, rural zones last. |
| 102 | 900 MHz | 2750000 | 1800 MHz | India | Bharti Airtel | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | 2023-08-05 | 2024-05-30 | Approved | 2024-05-30T10:28:14 | SMS, USSD, and retail store assistance for migration; focused campaigns in high-density states. | Special support for elderly and remote subscribers; free device upgrades for low-income users. | Shutdown in four phases, starting metropolitan areas, rural in final wave. |
| 103 | 900 MHz | 1800000 | 1800 MHz | Russia | MTS | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | 2023-07-23 | 2024-04-10 | Approved | 2024-04-09T18:32:09 | Migration via web portal, SMS, and regional service centers; multilingual assistance in border regions. | Legacy device users receive trade-in offers; remote regions get mobile support teams. | Region-by-region decommissioning, with final cutover scheduled for Siberian territories. |
| 104 | 850 MHz | 1100000 | 1800 MHz | Brazil | Vivo | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | 2023-10-15 | 2024-07-12 | Pending | 2024-07-01T09:25:03 | Retail and online migration support, rural outreach programs, special plans for agricultural communities. | Device swap incentives for farm and rural users; technical support for M2M modules. | Phased rollout with pilot programs in mountain regions; full decommission by Q3. |
| 105 | 900 MHz | 1600000 | 1800 MHz | Egypt | Orange Egypt | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | 2023-11-01 | 2024-08-05 | Approved | 2024-08-04T17:10:48 | Outreach through retail, SMS, and call centers; assistance for urban and rural users. | Free SIM exchanges offered; device upgrade discounts for migration. | Instant cutover in Cairo, phased approach in Delta and rural governorates. |
| 106 | 2100 MHz | 350000 | 3500 MHz | Germany | Deutsche Telekom | 3G UMTS | 5G NR | 2023-12-02 | 2024-09-30 | Pending | 2024-09-20T10:51:00 | Online portal upgrades, SMS notifications, and in-store device swap offers. | OTA firmware updates for compatible devices; roaming advice for business users. | Core network migration followed by instant legacy network shutdown. |
| 107 | 2100 MHz | 220000 | 3500 MHz | France | Orange France | 3G UMTS | 5G NR | 2024-01-15 | 2024-10-10 | Approved | 2024-10-08T13:41:12 | Trade-in offers for legacy devices, SMS countdown alerts, and online migration portal. | OTA updates for most handsets; technical support for IoT device upgrades. | Immediate core network cutover; legacy towers repurposed. |
| 108 | 2100 MHz | 400000 | 3600 MHz | Italy | TIM | 3G UMTS | 5G NR | 2024-02-18 | 2024-11-07 | Pending | 2024-11-07T16:22:35 | Automatic upgrades for compatible users; push notifications and retail device exchange. | Firmware patches for key brands; support for industrial IoT modules. | Legacy site refits; instant cutover in business districts. |
| 109 | 2100 MHz | 60000 | 3500 MHz | Japan | NTT Docomo | 3G UMTS | 5G NR | 2023-10-20 | 2024-07-01 | Approved | 2024-06-30T20:13:10 | Web portal migration, SMS reminders, and in-store device upgrades. | OTA upgrades for compatible models; replacement advice for legacy users. | Legacy network refit, instant core migration. |
| 110 | 2100 MHz | 800000 | 3700 MHz | South Korea | SK Telecom | 3G UMTS | 5G NR | 2024-03-14 | 2024-12-01 | Pending | 2024-11-30T23:44:20 | SMS and app notifications; retail device upgrade events in major cities. | Firmware updates for 5G capable devices; special support for rural IoT modules. | Core migration first, regional shutdown completed in Q4. |
| 111 | 850 MHz | 9500 | 1800 MHz | Australia | Telstra | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | 2023-12-18 | 2024-09-15 | Approved | 2024-09-14T12:10:04 | Direct outreach to business and rural subscribers; SMS and in-store support. | IoT module upgrade incentives; emergency phone migration support. | Immediate shutdown in cities, cleanup scheduled for remote towers. |
| 112 | 900 MHz | 2500 | 1800 MHz | Singapore | Singtel | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | 2023-11-05 | 2024-08-03 | Approved | 2024-08-01T09:47:13 | App push notifications, SMS, and direct B2B outreach for business clients. | M2M device upgrades; support for legacy emergency phones. | All towers converted within two weeks of shutdown. |
| 113 | 900 MHz | 1400 | 1800 MHz | Sweden | Telia | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | 2024-02-01 | 2024-10-01 | Approved | 2024-09-30T17:05:29 | Industrial client notifications, instant cutover for urban subscribers. | IoT module replacements; support for legacy business terminals. | Immediate shutdown, cleanup scheduled for industrial zones. |
| 114 | 850 MHz | 9200 | 1800 MHz | Canada | Rogers Communications | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | 2024-01-01 | 2024-09-01 | Approved | 2024-08-30T08:55:30 | Direct B2B notifications, app push for consumer users, instant network cutover. | Support for industrial IoT replacements; device upgrade offers for business clients. | All legacy towers converted within two weeks. |
| 115 | 2100 MHz | 0 | 1800 MHz | Finland | Elisa | 3G UMTS | 4G LTE | 2024-03-02 | 2024-05-15 | Approved | 2024-05-15T13:12:30 | No migration required; all subscribers migrated prior to shutdown. | All legacy devices transitioned; no active UMTS users at shutdown. | Instant core network cutover. |
| 116 | 2100 MHz | 0 | 1800 MHz | Spain | Movistar | 3G UMTS | 4G LTE | 2024-02-18 | 2024-04-30 | Approved | 2024-04-30T16:30:48 | No migration required; legacy network already decommissioned. | No active legacy devices; all customers transitioned to 4G. | Instant cutover, no phased migration necessary. |
| 117 | 850 MHz | 420000 | 1800 MHz | United States | AT&T | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | 2023-06-01 | 2024-01-15 | Approved | 2024-01-15T11:03:28 | SMS and email notifications to subscribers; call center support for legacy device upgrades. | Free SIM swaps and device vouchers for qualifying customers. | Phased regional shutdown; instant cutover in urban markets. |
| 118 | 900 MHz | 650000 | 1800 MHz | South Africa | Vodacom | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | blank | 2024-02-28 | Approved | 2024-02-28T19:45:50 | Rural outreach and retail support for SIM upgrades; mobile teams in remote regions. | Free SIM upgrades for rural users; device swap offers for legacy phones. | Shutdown starts in urban centers; rural cutover by Q2. |
| 119 | 900 MHz | 145000 | 1800 MHz | Zimbabwe | Econet Wireless | 2G GSM | 4G LTE | 2023-09-01 | 2024-06-05 | Pending | 2024-05-30T08:29:51 | Pilot programs for remote regions; migration assistance at retail stores. | Device swap incentives for mountain region users; mobile support teams for rural zones. | Stepwise regional approach; remote towers last to be decommissioned. |
| 120 | 2100 MHz | 15000 | 3500 MHz | Chile | Entel | 3G UMTS | 5G NR | 2024-02-22 | 2024-10-05 | Pending | 2024-09-28T15:12:14 | SMS alerts and retail device upgrade offers for affected subscribers. | Special upgrade support for IoT modules and legacy handsets. | Legacy network shutdown in urban regions; phased approach in rural zones. |
What the 110 rows show
from the 110-row sample900 MHz (frequency band legacy) stands out: mean estimated_
- 200,000median estimated_
affected_ subscribers - 2legacy technologies
- 2target technologies
- 2regulatory approval statuses
Median 200,000, from 0 to 2,750,000.
- string 10
- integer 2
- date 2
- datetime 1
Columns
15 columns in three groups| column | type | description | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text 10 columns | |||
country | string | Country where the refarming initiative is taking place | Nigeria |
operator_name | string | Mobile network operator responsible for the refarming | MTN Nigeria |
legacy_technology | string | Legacy technology being refarmed (e.g., 2G GSM, 3G UMTS)2G GSM · 3G UMTS | 2G GSM |
target_technology | string | Technology to which the spectrum is being migrated (e.g., 4G LTE, 5G NR)4G LTE · 5G NR | 4G LTE |
subscriber_migration_plan | string | Summary of the plan for migrating subscribers to new technologiesoptional | Multi-channel outreach vi… |
device_compatibility_notes | string | Notes on device compatibility issues and requirements for migrationoptional | Free SIM swaps offered in… |
frequency_band_legacy | string | Frequency band used by the legacy technology (e.g., 900 MHz, 2100 MHz)3 legacies | 900 MHz |
frequency_band_target | string | Frequency band allocated to the target technology after refarming6 targets | 1800 MHz |
network_decommissioning_plan | string | Details of the network decommissioning process and timelineoptional | Phased shutdown starting … |
regulatory_approval_status | string | Status of regulatory approval for the refarming initiativePending · Approved · Rejected · optional | Pending |
| Numbers 2 columns | |||
refarming_id | integer | Unique identifier for each spectrum refarming initiativeunique | 101 |
estimated_affected_subscribers | integer | Estimated number of subscribers impacted by the migration0 or more · optional | 2100000 |
| Dates and times 3 columns | |||
shutdown_announced_date | date | Date when the shutdown of legacy technology was publicly announcedoptional | 2023-09-12 |
shutdown_effective_date | date | Date when the legacy technology is scheduled to be shut down | 2024-06-20 |
last_updated | datetime | Timestamp of the last update to this record | 2024-06-15T14:45:21 |
Use it for
A telecommunications dashboard
Estimated_
affected_ subscribers by frequency_ band_ legacy and a breakdown of frequency_ band_ target. Excel, Power BI or Tableau. Why do the 38 900 MHz rows have a mean estimated_
affected_ subscribers of 839,789? A root-cause class exercise
Hand out the rows and one question. The answer is in the data, not in the brief.
- Rows1101012100000900 MHz1022750000900 MHz1031800000900 MHz
A software demo
Believable rows with country, operator_
name and legacy_ technology to fill a screen in front of a buyer.
This dataset110 rows15 columns
Yours1,000 rows15 columnscountry: UK only
blueprint · spectrum-refarming-and-technology-migration
Behind this dataset
Same schema. As many rows as you need.
These 110 rows came out of a blueprint — 15 columns with generation rules behind each one. Open it in Data Factory to retune a column, add your own, wire in foreign keys, and run it at the size you actually need.
Rules it was built with
- Frequency band being refarmed (e.g., 850MHz, 1900MHz PCS)
- Legacy technology: 2G GSM, 3G UMTS/HSPA, CDMA
- Target technology: 4G LTE, 5G NR
- Shutdown timeline: announcement date, sunset date, complete decommissioning
- Subscriber impact: device compatibility checks, upgrade incentives
- Fallback strategy: roaming agreements for areas with delayed migration
- Spectrum efficiency gain: 3-10x improvement LTE vs. 3G
- Network equipment decommissioning: BTS, NodeB, RNC removal
Open the blueprint in Data Factory
1 credit per row. Preview 20 rows free. Buy rows for the full run.
- Exports
- CSV, JSON, JSONL, Parquet, SQL, Excel, TSV, XML
- Licence
- yours to use, including commercially
- API slug
- spectrum-refarming-and-technology-migration