T-Mobile will delay the shutdown of Sprint's 3G network for a while. According to The Verge, T-Mobile delayed the CDMA network shut down from January 1, 2022 to March 31, 2019. T-Mobile blamed the delay on its "partners", who didn't follow through on helping customers switch to newer network technology.
This would allow partners to "every chance" to meet their obligations. T-Mobile stated that there should be no excuses.
Dish appears to have attempted to blame the situation in a subtle way. T-Mobile purchased Boost Mobile in July 2020. The satellite TV provider planned to use Sprint’s legacy network until it could transfer Boost customers to its 5G service. Dish claimed that this did not give it enough time for customers to move and accused T-Mobile, in an anti-competitive manner, of trying to lure Boost exiles back to T-Mobile.
This could be an answer to both Dish's original accusations and the subsequent fallout. In July, the Justice Department informed Dish and T-Mobile that it was concerned about the Sprint network's shutdown. It asked the companies to take all necessary steps to reduce the damage. These concerns could be addressed by the delay, which may reduce the likelihood of further government scrutiny.
Still, a delayed shutdown isn't ideal. T-Mobile plans to shut down Sprint's LTE network by June 30, 2022. This means that Boost customers will have LTE access for three months, but not other services. If you are a customer, you will likely have made a decision before March Cutoff. However, for some customers this will not be a gradual transition. They'll only have a brief period of limited Boost access before they can embrace 5G.
