Singapore’s retailers and equipment suppliers will not be allowed to sell 2G-only mobile devices to consumers for use in the country from 1 January.

The country’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said in a statement it will de-register 2G-only mobile devices for sale in the city-state. Suppliers with a dealer’s licence will be able to continue selling 2G devices for export.

The country’s three mobile operators – M1, Singtel and StarHub – will shut down their 2G networks on 1 April to allow the IMDA to re-allocate spectrum for more advanced mobile services. IMDA said it is working with the three operators to assist in the migration of 2G users to 3G or 4G networks.

Only 80,000 of the country’s 8.2 million mobile connections in Q3 were 2G, according to GSMA Intelligence. 4G customers account for 57 per cent of operators’ user base.