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The lift emergency call has to move before the 2G network goes

The three German network operators will switch off 2G in 2028, Telekom expected on 30 June. Anyone operating a lift must ensure that the emergency call in the car can reach an emergency service at all times. If it relies on a 2G module, that ends with the shutdown. What needs to be clarified now.

On 22 October 2024, Telekom was the first German network operator to name a date: its 2G network is expected to be switched off completely on 30 June 2028. Vodafone intends to end its 2G service at the end of September 2028; individual critical IoT applications can continue to use it by arrangement until December 2030. Telefónica will switch off 2G in the second half of 2028.

This does not only affect old phones. Telekom explicitly mentions devices that exchange data without human involvement, from alarm systems to electricity meters. That includes emergency call systems in lifts if they transmit over a mobile module.

What the Industrial Safety Regulation requires

For lifts that carry persons, the obligation is set out in Annex 1 no. 4.1 of the German Industrial Safety Regulation (BetrSichV). Anyone operating such an installation must ensure that a two-way communication system is effective in the car, through which an emergency service can be reached at all times. In German:

„dass im Fahrkorb der Aufzugsanlage ein Zweiwege-Kommunikationssystem wirksam ist, über das ein Notdienst ständig erreicht werden kann.“

An emergency call whose network has been switched off reaches nobody. The obligation lies with the operator, not with the network operator and not with the maintenance company. And it applies from the day of the shutdown, not from the next inspection.

Why 2028 is tight

Twenty months sounds like plenty of time. For a single lift it is. For a portfolio with many installations at several sites, with different maintenance companies and emergency call providers, it looks different: first you need to know which installation transmits over 2G at all. Then every retrofit needs a quote, an order, an appointment and afterwards a test call showing that the new path works. Anyone starting in spring 2028 competes with everyone else for the same technicians.

A SIM card that can roam into several networks only postpones the problem. It helps until the last 2G network is switched off, and not a day longer. The Vodafone exception until 2030 also only applies by arrangement and is no basis for planning an emergency call.

What needs to be clarified now

The transmission path per installation. Landline, IP or mobile, and for mobile which standard and which network operator. The answer is in the data sheet of the emergency call device or with the emergency call provider, rarely in the operator's own records.
Who is responsible for the emergency call. Device, SIM card and emergency service are often bundled in one contract with the maintenance company. Then the question about the retrofit belongs there, in writing, with a request for an appointment.
A date per installation. Some months before the first shutdown date that applies to the installation at the latest, not on the day itself.
The evidence afterwards. A test call over the new path, documented. If the emergency service changes, the emergency plan must also be updated and provided to the new emergency service.

How isidaten handles this

In the lift installations module, the emergency call system is recorded per installation with transmission path and network operator. The announced shutdown dates of the three networks are preloaded and can be replaced with your own. Two years ahead, the module shows a notice. Twelve months ahead, it automatically creates a defect for an emergency call on 2G, due one month before the shutdown. If the network has been switched off and the emergency call has not yet been moved, it becomes a safety-relevant defect. A successful test call during the check of the installation counts as the last function test.