When it comes to rolling out new wireless networks, one door opening can mean that another must be closed. And in the case of 5G, that door is 3G.

• Throughout 2022, 3G sang its swan song as all three major US telcos shut down their services one by one.
• AT&T cut off 3G in February 2022, T-Mobile shuttered its network in July, and Verizon followed in December.

To clear out room for the new, the old must go, both because it takes up space that could be dedicated to faster connectivity and because usage tends to dwindle as users migrate to newer tech. Much of 1G was shut down in the late aughts, for example, save for one operation in Russia that reportedly ran until 2017, as 2G ushered in the age of digital cellular connections.

So now, as 5G enters the scene, mobile operators have freed up spectrum previously used by 2G and 3G to pave the way for 5G, a process set in motion five years ago, according to Todd Zeiler, VP of wireless engineering at AT&T.

Keep reading here.—JM

Hot tip: Robots are trending up—for the second year in a row. That’s according to a report from the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), which tracks industrial robot sales in North America.

• In 2022, companies ordered 44,196 robots in total, reaching $2.38 billion in sales. That’s 11% more robots—and 18% more in sales—than in 2021.

“[It was a] record year,” Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, told us, adding, “The reality is every industry is automating now.”

In particular…The automotive industry was a primary driver in 2022’s robo boom, fueling more than 50% of sales with 23,807 robot orders. It’s a spike in a market that’s typically cyclical, depending on when automotive manufacturers are working on new products, Burnstein told us.

“The key driver, in addition to labor shortages that’s making everybody need to automate, is the transition to electric vehicles in the automotive industry,” Burnstein said.

Keep reading here.—HF

Usually, we write about the business of tech. Here, we highlight the *tech* of tech

Building a better battery: Scientists at the University of Rochester announced that they have created a superconductor that eliminates energy loss as electricity moves along a wire, which could lead to things like better batteries, more efficient power grids, and improved high-speed trains. Superconductors typically need to be operated at high pressures and in supercold temperatures as low as minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit, but the researchers said theirs is capable of operating at room temperature and at much lower pressure than existing superconductors.

Flexible energy: An experiment by Houston-based Fervo Energy points to the potential for “flexible geothermal power plants, capable of ramping electricity output up or down as needed.” Fervo pumped water deep into the ground and let it build pressure there before releasing it at the top, where it “surged at higher-than-normal levels for hours.” The system is capable of storing energy for “hours or even days.” It could mean power plants that are able to cease production when solar and wind farms are operating, and carry the load when necessary.—JM

Think your password is as strong as Superman? Join Tech Brew on March 23 for a free virtual event featuring Mastercard’s Alissa “Dr. Jay” Abdullah. We’ll discuss crucial insights into today’s biggest questions in cybersecurity, as well as hear her advice and predictions for the future. RSVP for your spot today.

*This editorial content is supported by Vanta.

Stat: The US Treasury allocated $355 million in pandemic relief funding to Arizona, Tennessee, and Wyoming to fund broadband infrastructure in underserved areas.

Quote: “When you try to probe it a little bit, it becomes immediately obvious that it’s all empty. ChatGPT has no model of what it is talking about. You’re watching a puppet show and believing the puppets are alive.”—François Chollet, AI researcher at Google, on the increasing size of LLMs.

Read: “Meta Doesn’t Want to Police the Metaverse. Kids Are Paying the Price.” (the Washington Post)

Vital crypto insights: Launching a new project or working for an established crypto brand? This Morning Brew Insights report reveals how our audience feels about crypto in 2023. Read it.

Three of the following news stories are true, and one...we made up. Can you spot the odd one out?

• St. Louis is experimenting with a trash-collecting service operated entirely by drones.
• VW is making its connected emergency service free for the next five years after police had to pay for the service when trying to locate a stolen car with a child inside.
• Rocket Lab is considering ditching its plans to recover rockets via helicopter in favor of scooping them up from the water.
• The FBI said it purchased US location data.

Catch up on the top Tech Brew stories from the past few editions:

• Inside Delta’s big-dollar, multiyear push to bring free in-flight wi-fi to the masses
• How Microsoft is thinking outside the Xbox
• How Google’s 2021 AI ethics debate foreshadowed the future