While 3G will still exist in other countries for quite a few more years, Verizon’s deadline is pretty much the end of the line for it here in the US. The tech hasn’t gone gentle into that good night; carriers delayed their shutdowns several times, there were tiffs between Dish and T-Mobile, and you can’t just turn a network that had been around for years off without things starting to break.
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile will put down 3G for good this year. Even if you don’t have a 3G phone anymore (and chances are you don’t), the technology most certainly changed your life.