T-Mobile confirms that it will shut down Sprint's LTE network by June 30, 2022, following its decision to shut down Sprint's 3G CDMA network on January 1, 2022
T-Mobile confirmed to Light Reading that it will shut down the Sprint LTE network by June 30, 2022.
Context & Ripple Effects
The shutdown schedule is a concrete integration step following T-Mobile’s completed Sprint merger. It also extends T-Mobile’s earlier move to require VoLTE-capable new devices, which had already narrowed support for older handsets.
By setting dates for both Sprint’s CDMA and LTE layers, T-Mobile is retiring the acquired network rather than maintaining it alongside its own infrastructure.
First-order effects
- Sprint LTE customers and devices that still depend on that network face a June 30, 2022 service cutoff, after the January 1, 2022 CDMA shutdown.
- T-Mobile can redirect network operations and device support away from Sprint’s legacy LTE footprint as the two shutdowns take effect.
Second-order effects
- Handset replacement and compatibility support become more urgent for affected customers, reinforcing T-Mobile’s VoLTE device requirements.
- T-Mobile’s fixed timetable contrasts with Verizon’s delayed 3G shutdown, leaving carriers to manage legacy-network exits on different schedules.
Third-order effects
- The merger’s operational value increasingly depends on consolidating overlapping networks and moving customers onto a single supported device and service base.
- If carriers continue to set firm retirement dates, legacy-network support will shift from an open-ended service obligation to a time-bounded device-transition process.
The trend: US carriers are using legacy-network sunsets to simplify post-merger infrastructure and concentrate support on newer device capabilities.