T‑Mobile shuts down 2G, ending original iPhone’s last US cellular network

T‑Mobile retired its 2G GSM network on August 3, 2026, completing the phase‑out of 2G service by all three major U.S. carriers—AT&T ended 2G in 2017 and Verizon in 2020. The original 2007 iPhone, which only supports GSM/EDGE and lacks 3G, 4G LTE or VoLTE, therefore loses its final cellular connection option in the United States. The shutdown also affects legacy equipment that relied on 2G, such as alarm panels, payment terminals and other IoT devices. T‑Mobile warned affected customers in advance and coordinated with global partners to facilitate the transition. This follows the earlier retirement of 3G networks in 2022 and the discontinuation of early LTE devices without VoLTE. For collectors, the original iPhone now functions solely as an offline historical artifact.

The broader impact underscores the limited lifespan of older wireless standards and the necessity for legacy hardware to migrate to newer network technologies.