T-Mobile pushed back the death of Sprint's 3G network by three months
T-Mobile is going to let the ghost of Sprint, which the former company first moved to acquire in 2018, stick around for a few months longer.
The years-long process of merging of the two companies is nearly complete, but one nagging headache remains: Sprint's aging CDMA network, which provides service to 3G customers. Some of those customers are actually on Boost Mobile, a former Sprint subsidiary that was sold to Dish Network as part of the acquisition terms.
T-Mobile had previously set an end-of-2021 deadline for unplugging Sprint's 3G network, but in a statement the company blames unnamed "partners" for delaying the process and forcing a three-month delay. So now the former Sprint CDMA network will close up shop on March 31, 2022 rather than at the start of the new year.
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(If you're confused about the distinction between older networks like CDMA, here's a far better explanation than I could possibly offer.)
"Recently it’s become increasingly clear that some of [our] partners haven’t followed through on their responsibility to help their customers through this shift," a T-Mobile statement, shared on Friday, reads. "So, we’re stepping up on their behalf."
It's likely that at least one of the unnamed partners — if there is more than one at all — is Dish. Back in April 2021, the Boost Mobile owner appealed to the Federal Communications Commission for help, noting, in part, "[w]e believe that T-Mobile’s actions raise significant competition and public interest concerns."
As The Verge pointed out, Dish said in the letter that more than half of Boost customers relied on the Sprint 3G network. T-Mobile is supposed to keep providing network services to Boost customers as part of the acquisition deal and related Dish sale, but nothing in the terms puts a specific timeline on maintaining the CDMA network.
In an August response to Dish's FCC complaint, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert referred to the whole affair as a "manufactured crisis," adding that Dish should "take real action and get their customers new phones on time, before the network upgrade happens, just as T-Mobile is doing for affected Sprint customers."
The corporate back-and-forth here that seems to skew in T-Mobile's favor is undermined to some extent by a state agency's ruling issued back in August. The California Public Utilities Commission alleged that T-Mobile had made false or misleading statements regarding continued network access for Boost customers as it pursued the merger. In order to avoid hefty fines, the mobile provider would have to "show cause why it should not be sanctioned by the commission."
It's a messy situation that apparently still hasn't been fully resolved. Mashable reached out to Boost Mobile via Dish and we'll update this story when we hear back.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
