HOUSTON — 3G cellphone service is going away sooner than many of us realize, and it won't impact just your mom's old flip phone.
People with older phones are rushing out to AT&T stores now that the carrier has alerted them its 3G services will start shutting down Feb. 22.
"I think she has a flip phone. An older flip phone," Michelle Jones said. "Yes, an old flip phone!"
But Jones says for her older mother, it's really no laughing matter. She needs to buy her mom a new phone before her lifeline goes dead.
"They said they are eliminating it across the board, the 3G service, whatever," Jones said.
It's all part of an FCC plan to free up spectrum for 5G, but some people aren't happy and say too many people can't afford an expensive smartphone.
"I think its bad," Kevin Leary said. "A lot of people can't afford these new phones. They are so expensive these days."
Now you might think this won't affect you because you have a 4G LTE phone, but it could still impact your family if anyone has a burglar alarm or some sort of senior alert service.
Dimity Orlet of the advocacy group "Pro-Seniors" says it's important to ask your older parents or grandparents what gadgets they use.
"We need to get the word out to seniors," Orlet said. "But also folks, family members and friends to make sure their devices are going to work with the new 5G."
The Associated Press warns that 1.5 million families still have 3G home alarms that need to be upgraded.
An AT&T spokesperson tells us it's helping customers navigate the transition and will provide "free replacement phones" to a majority of people using older flip phones.
The key thought is to check with your provider as soon as possible so your phone or safety device doesn't go dark when 3G gets shut off, that way you don't waste your money.