Cory Gunther
T-Mobile will shut down Sprint’s LTE network by June 2022, as it continues moving customers onto its own network following the merger last year. T-Mobile has also been busy using Sprint’s spectrum to expand its 5G network rollout.
Furthermore, T-Mobile already confirmed it would shutter the older 3G CDMA networks by January 2022, and apparently, they’ve already managed to move nearly 33% of Sprint customers onto its T-Mobile network. So, if you’re a Sprint customer, here’s what you need to know.
The June 2022 shutdown date comes from LightReading, who received the news from T-Mobile.
“T-Mobile confirmed to Light Reading that it will shut down the Sprint LTE network by June 30, 2022.
The overall Sprint network shutdown efforts are part of T-Mobile’s plan to assimilate Sprint following its blockbuster $26 billion purchase of the operator in a transaction that closed last year. T-Mobile is in the process of building a 5G network using Sprint’s spectrum and tower assets and is working to shift Sprint’s legacy customers off the Sprint network as a result.”
Additionally, T-Mobile confirmed the news on its own website and further explained that its reps would reach out to each Sprint customer directly and individually. Essentially, T-Mobile is retiring older technology to make room for its more advanced 4G LTE and 5G network expansion.
For the record, T-Mobile isn’t the only one doing such a thing. AT&T is killing 3G early next year, and Verizon plans to do the same by 2023. These days it’s mostly older flip phones that run on 3G, so this shouldn’t be a big concern for the vast majority of customers. If you already have a newer phone released within the last year or so, you should be fine. Still, T-Mobile went on to say this regarding devices and its new customers moving over from Sprint.
“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. 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.”
If you’re using an ancient device that doesn’t have 4G LTE or 5G, you’ll likely need a new phone before June 2022. Fortunately, popular Samsung phones and Sprint iPhones work on T-Mobile, so many users will be fine.
To put it simply, by the time most people will be in the market for a new 5G phone if they don’t have one already, the newly -combined T-Mobile will have a plan in place to make sure it’s using a single standard and be supported. That said, whether you can enjoy 5G service from the company will probably depend on where you live.
