Legacy Sprint SIMs on T-Mobile are about to be shut down

Some of the best Android smartphones are sold by T-Mobile, the company that purchased Sprint nearly three years ago in April 2020. The carrier has since tried to fully integrate the acquired network’s customers into its fold, and after repeated postponements of the shutdown date, it finally retired Sprint’s 3G and 4G networks months ago. Now, a leaked internal document suggests T-Mobile will kill any remaining service for customers using Sprint SIM cards on May 1, 2023.

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T-Mobile has been sending legacy Sprint customers repeated notices alerting them of the impending shutdown. It advised people to switch to a T-Mobile SIM card repeatedly, since around the time when the network provider delayed sunsetting CDMA and LTE services last year.

According to the document seen by T-Mo Report, people still dragging on with Sprint SIM cards for calls, texts, and other connectivity should’ve received a shutdown notification on February 1 via SMS and email. Another one will follow on March 1, failing which, a legal notice will be served on April 3 via snail mail, in addition to an SMS and email reminder.

A snapshot of the leaked T-Mobile document

These notifications contain instructions on how to switch to T-Mobile’s network and request an upgrade if your phone isn’t compatible. However, the internal document cautions that customers who ignore the upcoming notifications will lose Sprint cellular connectivity on May 1. The move may also impact your ability to make emergency calls to 911, the report adds. Effectively, the final shutdown is still three months away, but we would suggest you avoid delaying the switch to keep connectivity and peace of mind.

The document lays down guidelines for T-Mobile staff assisting Sprint customers through the transition. It explains that switching to the new carrier’s SIM is free. If you’re stuck using an older device incompatible with T-Mobile’s network, perhaps one with now-discontinued 3G support, the company will suggest upgrading to a compatible device for free.

All things considered, there’s only one ray of hope left for any remaining Sprint holdouts: the shutdown dates are mentioned in a leaked internal document, but T-Mobile is yet to announce them officially. So, things could still change, although it is highly unlikely after multiple extensions so far.