T-Mobile is shutting down Sprint’s LTE network for good in 2022
The merger between T-Mobile and Sprint finally closed on April 1st, 2020. Four months later, T-Mobile discontinued the Sprint brand. T-Mobile has been moving as many Sprint customers as possible to its network ever since. Days ago, the carrier revealed that a third of Sprint users are now on T-Mobile’s network. That number will undoubtedly continue to grow, as T-Mobile announced this week that it plans to shut down Sprint’s LTE network on June 30th, 2022.
Light Reading broke the news on Tuesday, and T-Mobile has since updated its website. The carrier had already pegged January 1st, 2022 as the date for retiring Sprint’s 3G network. T-Mobile also explained why it will be necessary to shutter Sprint’s networks on its website:
To ensure all customers can enjoy a more advanced 4G and 5G network, we will be retiring older network technologies to free up resources and spectrum that will help us strengthen our entire network, move all customers to more advanced technologies and bridge the Digital Divide. An additional part of this effort involves moving Sprint’s LTE spectrum to the T-Mobile network.
How to switch from Sprint to T-Mobile
T-Mobile goes on to note that customers will need modern phones and tablets to access its networks. Thankfully, if your phone is supported by Sprint’s LTE network, it will most likely be compatible with T-Mobile’s as well. If you have a compatible device, the only step you will need to take is replacing your Sprint SIM card with T-Mobile’s SIM card. Owners of select devices will also need to ensure Voice over LTE (VoLTE) is enabled in device settings for voice calls as well.
As The Verge notes, you can check if your device is compatible with T-Mobile’s network right here.
If you own a device that isn’t compatible, you’ll need to upgrade or replace it. This includes data-only equipment that does not support LTE or 5G on the T-Mobile network as well as voice and data devices and equipment that do not support LTE or 5G and VoLTE on the T-Mobile network.
T-Mobile has assured customers that it will reach out to them if they are affected. One way or another, Sprint customers are going to move to another carrier. By this time next year, both Sprint’s 3G and its LTE networks will be offline. If you still use Sprint, make sure to have a plan of action in place.
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