Elevators, alarms...: millions of devices soon to be out of service

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The countdown has begun. This security company needs to replace the alarm box in this home. In the event of an intrusion, it transmits the alert to the control center. 2G , an old network, shuts down at the end of 2026. 3G will shut down in 2029. In total, 6,000 systems need to be replaced for this company, which amounts to more than €2.5 million. " We'll have to find additional staff to replace these alarms, and that represents a significant financial cost," says Nora Gouba Coûteux, head of the VP-Sitex security service. It's also costly for this remote assistance professional for seniors.

" So with 2G, 3G, it's the same thing. It's not enough to change the SIM card; you have to change the entire device, " says Thibaut Gayrard, head of Présence Verte - Midi-Pyrénée Nord. He estimates the cost, as he says, Pérenne, at €1 million just to install 5,000 new monitoring devices at his clients' homes. " You have to anticipate, plan ahead with the elderly, make appointments, and travel. So, beyond the hardware, there's a logistical impact to anticipate and plan for, " he adds.

Additionally, some elevator alarm buttons will also be out of service. In total, 1.4 million 2G and 2.1 million 3G devices will need to be replaced. According to telecom operators, this change is essential to free up more efficient, more energy-efficient, and more secure frequencies. " We have networks that have not been structurally sufficiently secured. So today, it's a real problem because we have elevator alarms, we have home surveillance that works with these technologies that can be easily hacked, bypassed, etc., " says Romain Bonenfant, Director General of the French Telecoms Federation. A disappearance announced as early as 2022. Operators believe they have given companies enough time to prepare.

French Federation of Telecommunications

Non-exhaustive list