T-Mobile will be shutting down Sprint’s LTE network in 2022
5G has yet to become the new standard in terms of mobile connectivity. It’s slowly getting there but we reckon it might be a year or two before 5G becomes the new 4G in terms of its ubiquity, but it looks like work is already being done to make sure that happens.
According to a report from Light Reading, T-Mobile has confirmed that in June 2022, they will be shutting down Sprint’s LTE network. This will be done to help merge the two networks together following T-Mobile’s acquisition of Sprint. In a post made on its website, T-Mobile writes:
“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.”
In a way this shouldn’t be too surprising. Carriers are already making progress in sunsetting 3G networks, so it was really only a matter of time before LTE got the same treatment to help make room for 5G. T-Mobile also notes that to date, they have managed to transition about 33% of Sprint’s customers to its own network, but this also means that there will still be a number who have yet to make the transition.
With regards to this, T-Mobile had this to say:
“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.”
Source: T-Mobile