Some Kindles may lose internet connection, warns Amazon

Some older Kindles may soon lose their internet connection, Amazon warned on Thursday.

The corporate giant warned that the first and second generation models of its e-readers might no longer connect to the internet to download new books. According to the BBC, this is because they did not come with wifi functions included and used only mobile internet.

However, the slower 2G and 3G internet, which was used at the time, is being discontinued in several countries.

Amazon says the first- and second-generation Kindle, as well as the Kindle DX, will lose all internet connection.

The following devices will be able to connect online by wi-fi only:

>> Kindle Keyboard (third generation)

>> Kindle Touch (fourth generation)

>> Kindle Paperwhite (fifth, sixth and seventh generation)

>> Kindle Voyage (seventh generation)

>> Kindle Oasis (eighth generation)

The affected devices include models first released as recently as 2016.

Newer ones, which use 4G technology, are unaffected.

Amazon has been emailing some affected customers warning them about the change and "thanking them" for being "one of our earliest customers".

It is offering a discount for those who want to upgrade to one of its premium modern models.

It is also possible to "sideload" books on to Kindle, through a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, but that requires finding and downloading e-books in the correct format.