T-Mobile is finally shutting down Sprint’s LTE network next year, following the 2020 merger between the two mobile carriers.
Light Reading confirms that T-Mobile will shutter Sprint’s network by June 30, 2022, which would be more than two years since the $26 billion merger. T-Mobile said it is retiring the network to free up resources and spectrum that will help strengthen the entire network.
“Moving customers who are on old networks onto modern, advanced high-speed networks means they will need to have phones and devices that can tap into the latest technologies and don’t rely on older ones,” T-Mobile noted in its support page detailing the network evolution.
“We’ll ensure that we support our customers and partners through the transition. We began sending notifications late last year, and everyone who needs to act will be given advanced notice and hear directly from T-Mobile.”
The change won’t affect customers much: T-Mobile said customers only need to make sure they replace the Sprint SIM card with a T-Mobile SIM card by the June 2022 deadline.
The mobile carrier also notes that Sprint’s older 3G (CDMA) network would be retired on January 1, 2022. T-Mobile notes Sprint customers with an older phone that doesn’t support VoLTE will need to upgrade to a more modern device by the end of this year to continue getting service.
The full transition in phasing out Sprint will affect about 4 million Sprint customers. In total (including Sprint customers), T-Mobile logged a record-high of 104.8 million customers in the company’s second quarter of 2021.
T-Mobile said customers only need to make sure they replace the Sprint SIM card with a T-Mobile SIM card by the June 2022 deadline.
According to Forbes, T-Mobile says that by 2026, the carrier will provide 5G to 99% of the US population and average 5G speeds over 100 Mbps to 90% of the U.S. population
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