According to The T-Mo Report, T-Mobile is delaying its shutdown date for Sprint’s 3G network again. Originally scheduled for March 31, the new date is May 31. If true, this wouldn’t be the first delay. The carrier had planned to phase out the network in January but announced it would extend to the end of March due to issues with “partners.”
With the end of March being tomorrow, it won’t take long to find out. There’s also a possibility of a third delay according to SoftBank’s website. In the iPhone global services guide, the site says “there is a possibility that the date of May 31 will be rescheduled in the future”.
Another source claims that even though the shutdown date is moved to May, the shutdown will begin on March 31. Lines using CDMA will be disabled and rerouted to customer care.
In addition to the CDMA shutdown, T-Mobile plans to end [its] own 3G UMTS network by July 1st of this year. That date has had a number of delays as well, with the original shutdown date being as far back as October 1st, 2021. Sprint’s LTE is also set to be shut down on June 30th of this year.
T-Mobile plans to shut down its older GSM 2G network as well but has yet to set a date. It’s important to note for iPhone users that the 3G shutdown affects iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, and 4S. These shutdowns come as carriers are gradually moving consumers over to 4G and 5G networks.
Update: A spokesperson from T-Mobile reached out to 9to5Mac with the following statement:
“We are proceeding as planned with the orderly shutdown of our CDMA network beginning on March 31. As part of our shutdown process, we are migrating customers in some areas over the following 60 days to ensure they are supported and not left without connectivity, and the network will be completely turned off by no later than May 31. This is a normal network transition process. We look forward to sunsetting this outdated technology so every customer will have access to the best connectivity and best experience in wireless.“
What are other carriers doing?
Verizon today announced its plans to shut down its 3G network on December 31, 2022. This cutoff was going to be in 2019 in an effort to minimize disruptions for customers. The company states it will not delay this shutdown again. AT&T’s 3G network was shut down just last month.
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