T-Mobile begins shutting down Sprint 3G network, will complete 'no later than May 31

T-Mobile begins shutting down Sprint 3G network, will complete 'no later than May 31'

T-Mobile said on Wednesday that it plans to shut down Sprint's 3G network starting March 31. As part of the shutdown process, the company said in a statement emailed to The Verge, it will migrate customers over the next 60 days "to ensure they are supported and will not be left without connectivity, and network 31." There will be a complete shutdown after May."

Earlier reports suggested that the actual shutdown date was being pushed to May 31, which would be the second delay; Originally, T-Mobile was going to phase out the network in January, but in October said it would extend the deadline to March 31.

As one of the terms of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger, which closed in 2020, Dish acquired Boost Mobile in July 2020 with the goal of replacing Sprint as the fourth wireless carrier in the US. When T-Mobile announced that it planned to shut down Sprint's CDMA network, the two companies began to criticize each other; Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen Compares T-Mobile to the Grinch; T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert wrote in a blog post that Dish "is stretching its legs to upgrade its customers to a better 4G/5G world."

At stake is the shutdown's impact on Dish's Boost Mobile customers. The Justice Department told Dish Network and T-Mobile in a July 2021 letter that there were "serious concerns" about Sprint's shutdown of the old network and that the companies were asked to take "all reasonable steps" to minimize the impact on customers. was asked for. requested. Net.

When it announced the delay until the end of March, T-Mobile issued a statement saying that its "partners" had not followed through on their responsibility to help their customers through this change. And it was "stepping up" on customers. on behalf of. This appears to be a minor reference to Dish Network, whose executive VP of external legislative affairs Jeff Blum told The Verge at the time that COVID-related issues and supply-chain constraints had slowed customer upgrades. He said the March delay was an acknowledgment by T-Mobile that shutting down the CDMA network could negatively impact consumers who rely on it.