Goodbye 3G!
The Icelandic telecom companies are phasing out the 3G network
As part of a coordinated effort by Iceland’s mobile operators, the 3G network is being phased out to make way for newer, faster technologies. If your device doesn’t support 4G VoLTE calling, it will soon lose the ability to make and receive calls when 3G is switched off.
Goodbye 3G, hello super-speed!
How do I know whether my device will be affected?
To find out whether your device will be affected by the 3G phase-out, you can visit the Bless 3G page and enter your phone number under “Do I have a device that works?” to check whether your device supports VoLTE. You can also review the list below of devices that will be affected by the 3G phase-out.
Affected devices
8849
- Tank-series: Tank 2
Advan
- Vandroid-series: S5J
Apple
- iPhone-series: iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6s Plus
ASUS
- ROG Phone: 3 (Strix), 5, 5s, 6, 6D, 7, 7 Ultimate
- Zenfone: 3, 5 Lite, 6 (2019), 8, 9, 10, 11 Ultra
- Zenfone Max: Max (M2), Max Pro (M1)
AT&T
- Samsung Galaxy: S6 Edge+
Coolpad
- 8360
- Nexus: 5X, 6
- Pixel: Pixel, 2 (XL), 3 (XL, a, a XL), 4 (XL, a, a 5G), 5, 5a
Hot Pepper
- K82A
HTC
- Desire: 12s, 21 Pro 5G, 22 Pro, 626G Plus
- U-series: U Ultra, U12+
Huawei / Honor
- Honor: 4X, 5C, 7X, 8, 8X, 9, 9 Lite, 10, 20, V20, Enjoy 7A
- Mate: 10 (Lite), 20 (Lite, Pro), 30, 50 (Pro, E), 60 Pro, X3
- Nova: Nova, 3e, 3i, 4e, 5T, 7i, 8i, 9 (SE), 10 (Pro, SE), 11, 11i, 12i, 12s, 13, Y70, Y71, Y90, Y91
- P-series: P8 Lite (2017), P9 (Lite, Mini), P10 (Plus), P20 (Lite, Pro), P30 (Lite, Pro), P40 (Lite), P60 (Art, Pro), P Smart (+, Z, 2019–2021)
- Y-series: Y3 II, Y5 (II, 2019, p), Y6 (2017, 2019, Prime, Prime 2018, II, p), Y7 (Prime 2018, 2019), Y9 (2019, Prime 2019, a, s)
- Other devices: Ascend Y635, G9 Lite, Enjoy 60, MediaPad M3, MediaPad T5
- Wearables & routers: Kids Watch 4 Pro, Kids Watch 5, B310s, B525s, B593, B818
LG
- G-series: G2, G3, G4 (Beat, c), G6, G7 (Fit, One, ThinQ), G8 (ThinQ, s, X Dual Screen), G8X ThinQ
- K-series: K4, K8, K8s, K9, K10 (2017, 4G), K11, K20, K22, K40, K41s, K50s, K51s, K52
- V-series: V30, V40 ThinQ, V50 ThinQ, V60 ThinQ 5G
- Other: Q6, Spirit 4G, X Screen, X Power2, Wing 5G
Logicom
- Xtrem-series: Xtrem 40
Medion
- Life-series: X5520
Meizu
- Blue Charm Note 2, Note 9
Microsoft
- Lumia-series: 550, 640 LTE, 950
Nokia
- 8100 4G
OnePlus
- OnePlus: 2, 3, 3T, 5, 5T, 6, 6T, 7, 7T, 7T Pro
Samsung Galaxy
- A-series: A3 (2016, 2017), A5 (2016, 2017), A6, A6+, A7 (2018), A8 (2018, Star, +), A9, A05, A05s, A10, A12, A20s, A30s, A50
- J-series: J1 Ace VE, J3 (2016, 2017, Duos), J4+, J5 (2016, 2017, Prime, Pro), J6, J6+, J7 (2016, NXT, Pro), J8
- S-series: S2, S3 LTE, S4 (LTE, Mini), S5 (Active, Mini, Neo), S6 (Edge, Edge+), S7 (Edge), S8 (Plus), S9 Plus, S10
- Note-series: Note 3 (LTE), Note 4, Note 8, Note 9, Note 10
- M-series: M10, M21, M30s
- Tablets: Tab A, Tab A 7.0, Tab Active 2, Tab S5e, Tab S6 Lite, Tab S7
- Other / Legacy: Ace Style, Core LTE, Grand Prime (Plus, Value Edition), On6, Star Pro, XCover 3/4, GT-S5233A, SGH-E720
Sony Ericsson
- P910a
Sprint
- Samsung Galaxy: S7
Ulefone
- Armor: Armor 3, 6, 7, 8 Pro, 9, 10 5G, 11 5G, 12s, 15, 30 Pro
- Armor X: X5, X5 Pro, X8, X10
- Power / Note / Tabs: Power 3, Power Armor 14 Pro, Power Armor 16s, Note 12P, 13P, 14, 16 Pro, Tab A11 Pro, Armor Pad 4 Ultra
When is Nova shutting down its 3G network?
The current status is that 2G and part of Nova’s 3G service have already been shut down.
2G: Nova – Shut down 2G in January 2025.
3G: All operators are scaling back their services and will shut them down in the near future. Nova has already switched off 3G outside the capital area and Reykjanes, and plans to turn off its remaining 3G transmitters in the first half of 2026.
More information can be found on the Electronic Communications Office.
If I only have a feature phone (mobile phone with buttons) – what do I need to do?
Most newer feature phones support VoLTE, but if you’re unsure, we can help you find out. Otherwise, we have phones that support VoLTE in all shapes and sizes. You will surely find one that suits you perfectly in our online store where we have special deals on devices just for you!
I have devices such as cameras and sensors that use 2G and 3G – what should I do?
We recommend that you contact the service provider from whom you got the equipment and look for a newer solution that supports 4G – that way you’ll also get a much better device!
How do I turn on VoLTE?
It’s simple! You just hop into The help and follow the instructions.
See instructions for Androidhttps://support.nova.is/hc/is/articles/360005836997-Kveikja-%C3%A1-VoLTE-%C3%AD-Android.
If I have a smartphone – doesn’t it automatically have VoLTE?
The short answer is no. VoLTE is enabled by default for all devices in Nova’s systems, but some smartphone manufacturers have been inconsistent in enabling VoLTE on their devices. Most manufacturers already have the technology built into their phones, but have been slow to activate it through software updates.
As a general rule of thumb, all Apple smartphones after the iPhone 7 and Samsung smartphones after the Galaxy S7 (2016) support VoLTE.
Google Pixel phones (Pixel 5A and newer) received a VoLTE update in June 2024.
Xiaomi is rolling out VoLTE updates to newer devices.
We recommend keeping an eye out and making sure to install new software updates on your phone whenever they become available.
What is VoLTE exactly?
VoLTE stands for Voice over LTE and is a calling service that uses the 4G LTE network to place voice calls. This results in faster call setup times and clearer audio quality compared to traditional 2G/3G calls.
With VoLTE, calls are made directly over the 4G network instead of the phone switching to 3G or 2G during a call. This delivers a better overall experience, with quicker call connections and significantly improved sound quality.