Does Anyone Know How Tracphone Will Be Affected By 4g Rollout?

I have not been able to find any definitive information. And frankly, the articles I've read confused me.
Does the 3G (or 2G) vs. 4G issue affect only web-surfing? (I don't care.) Web-surfing and texts? (I care.) Everything, including phone calls and voice-mail checks? (TIME TO PANIC!)

Furthermore, has anyone found a schedule for TracPhone? I've only found 1 schedule (not TF...I think it was Verizon). All I seem to find are a bunch of "marketing-speak" advertisements for how great they can serve their (business) customers if only they call them...no actual information.

 

3G and 4G is cell connection and has nothing to do with wifi.
If you have a 3G phone, you won't be able to make calls.

I know someone who uses Tracfone and had to replace two handsets in the past year because the old sets will not be able to make or receive calls. (He was with Tracfone through Verizon).
End dates:
AT&T February 2022
Verizon end of 2020
T-Mobile January 2021 (I'm not sure if that is in effect because the article I read was from August)

Tracfone doesn't have its own cell band. It is an MVO (mobile virtual operator) and uses Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.
Find out what network your phone is using. If it was Verizon, I guess the phone can't make or get calls. If T-Mobile, you have 2 days until the phone can't make or receive calls.

 

Thank you so much, plodr.

I've made calls to my bank, so I'm guessing (based on those dates) that either:

1. This Tracphone (from WalMart) uses AT&T in my area (or has many AT&T towers).
2. T-Mobile didn't end 3G yet.

This issue is so annoying, considering I buy the one-year cards and I have a few months to go! I'll check my phone's settings to avoid Verizon, unless it's all automatic.

 

It is NOT automatic.

Source: https://www.pcmag.com/news/cdma-vs-gsm-whats-the-difference

Sprint, Verizon, USCellular uses CDMA
AT&T, T-Mobile use GSM

You have a GSM phone. It can not use Verizon's network. Plus Verizon has alreday shut down 3G so if you had a Verizon phone, it stopped working. (That's why my internet friend, who uses Verizon network, had to buy 2 new phones for him and his wife because their Tracfones were going to stop working.) I have to get my husband a new phone before the end of this year. We were on VirginMobile who was forced to go out of business when Sprint and T-Mobile merged. We were moved to Boost. Boost was now purchased by DISH! I was just happy his old flip phone kept on working. There were so many changes in a short period of time that I spent hours researching. When he went out alone, I made him carry my phone as well as his just in case his phone didn't work!

You'd best be shopping for a new phone before you find out your phone doesn't work.

 

I was referring to which network my phone connects to at any given time...
....come to think of it, I remember seeing an option to select a vendor, but I believe that that was for WiFi data. But I need to double-check on the cell coverage.

Thanks for the link...that might give more detail. So far, my phone still works!

 

Sometime after I get home, I have to check my manual. It's a pretty fair guess I have either 3G GSM or 4G LTE and probably AT&T by default. The PC Magazine article you linked was very informative! I bought this phone in early 2019 so it might be okay, but it is a TracPhone (a little flip-phone)...I'll put a sticky on my forehead.

 

There are flip phones that are 4G capable. Find the exact model and you'll be able to find the specs online.
https://shop.tracfone.com/shop/en/tracfonestore/phones/tf-lg-classic-flip-l125dl (that's the one my friend now uses)

 

Last year, Tracfone notified me that my phone would not be compatible with 4G and they gave me a new one.

 

That might work if you bought your phone through Tracfone; as far as I know, it doesn't work if you bought your phone from another site/store.

 

So, according to my manual, the phone can use either 3G or 4G LTE. The phone's settings show it can use CDMA/GSM/LTE...it let's me choose one or auto switch between 2 or all three! So no worries...it maybe helped that I got this at Walmart (+ not in a carrier's store).

I was not happy with this phone. (Back cover was a pain to get off + no longer stays on, Contacts has only a few fields, etc.) I replaced the other in order to change my number...apparently that was a fortunate choice! The other phone probably wouldn't work now.

Thanks to you both for all the info...I'm fine but it will help others.