Verizon is sending free 4G flip phones to customers who haven’t moved on from 3G

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

After a few delays, it looks like the 3G CDMA network will be shut down by the end of the year. The carrier is still dealing with a group of customers who haven't upgraded their 3G phones. When the 3G network goes offline, the wireless subscribers will be given a free flip phone to keep them connected.

The Orbic Journey V is one of the phones that will be given to customers. The Orbic is the lowest priced of the three devices at $99.99.

If you want to get rid of the free phone, you have to call customer service and tell them you want to. The highest average of two stars was given to all three of them. These are not very advanced phones. Customers can exchange their free phone for something else after they receive it, according to the company. If customers don't do it on their own, the phones will be activated 30 days later.

Customers on older devices can be left in the cold after a network transition. AT&T gave some subscribers with 3G devices the chance to get a new phone. T-Mobile was able to take advantage of the resources that were left after the switch off of sprint's network. On July 1st, the company shut down its 3G UMTS network, saying it was retiring older network technologies as part of an important progression that will greatly enhance the performance of 4G and 5G.