Does your building have an elevator? There is a good chance that its remote alarm (the device allowing emergency services to be called if the elevator is blocked) still works on the 2G network. But Orange launched the first cut of this reswater on March 31 in the 28 municipalities of Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz. Free Mobile customers are also affected, because Free relies on the Orange network. The extinction will continue in waves until December 2026, then SFR and Bouygues Télécom will in turn cut off at the end of the year. 3G will disappear between the end of 2028 and the end of 2029 according to the operators.
Why this change? 4G and 5G are “safer, more efficient and energy efficient”assures Arcep. So, some old phones still operating in 2G or 3G will soon no longer have access to the network. But this novelty has other consequences, in fact an elevator whose remote alarm has not been upgraded to 4G will no longer be compliant, and will have to be shut down.
How much will that cost ?
The good news is that upgrade does not require changing the entire elevator. It only involves replacing the 2G communication module with a 4G or 5G module. This procedure will only take two to three hours. But concretely, how much will it cost?
– Replacement of the module : between 600 and 1,800 euros per elevator (figure from the HOP association, Stop Planned Obsolescence) depending on the configuration, the age of the device and the technician’s travel costs. Please note that complete replacement is not always necessary: when the elevator is not obsolete, partial replacement is entirely sufficient.
– The new 4G telephone subscription : from approximately 15 to 30 euros per month, which is added to the co-ownership charges.
For a co-ownership of ten lots with a single elevator, the single upgrade bill therefore represents between 60 and 180 euros per co-owner, to which are added 1.5 to 3 euros per month in additional charges. For a building with two elevators, the total cost is doubled, but again, divided between the co-owners.
Decision times in co-ownership, a real problem
This work must be voted on in a general assembly, by a simple majority. However, the Elevator Federation has been sounding the alarm since 2024 on the fact that co-ownerships are slow, very slow, to vote on this type of decision. She thus warned thatit would be “very difficult, if not impossible” to upgrade all elevators on time. In short: if your co-ownership association has not yet voted for this work, it is urgent to put the subject on the agenda of the next AGunder penalty of seeing your elevator condemned this fall.
Other equipment concerned
Less visible than elevators, another piece of equipment is concerned: remote assistance for the elderly. These are the boxes that elderly people wear to call for help in the event of a fall. Of the 750,000 seniors equipped with this device in France, 200,000 are affected by this change.because their equipment still works on 2G. Replacing each box requires a technician to travel to your home, for an estimated cost of between 50 and 100 euros. per intervention, excluding the price of the new equipment. For the small associative structures which provide this personal service, the overall bill is considerable. If you have a loved one equipped with remote assistance, the process is simple: call their service provider to check if the box is already 4G compatible or if a replacement is planned.
Finally, certain domestic equipment is potentially affected : house alarms, automatic gates… if you are not sure, check if your equipment needs to be updated.
