T-Mobile and DISH have been sparring at the FCC over T-Mobile’s anticipated shutdown of its 2G and 3G CDMA networks as part of the telecom’s transition to 5G. DISH wants the FCC to intervene, saying T-Mobile’s actions will strand millions of its Boost users on those networks. In turn, T-Mobile has said it’s time for DISH to get to work building its own 5G network and says there’s no reason for the regulatory agency to get involved.
The sparring has received attention from Capitol Hill. DISH told lawmakers T-Mobile’s rapid timeline is unprecedented. “T-Mobile’s anti-competitive Grinch-like decision to accelerate the shutdown of its CDMA network will likely harm millions of Boost customers that depend on access to this network for wireless connectivity, disproportionately impacting low-income consumers who over-index in communities of color,” said DISH in a recent letter to lawmakers.
“T-Mobile is transitioning customers from an out-of-date CDMA 3G technology to our new 4G/5G lightning-fast broadband network,” the carrier said in a letter to Sen. Brian Schatz (R-HI). “This means that customers stuck with snail’s pace connections from a bygone era will get real broadband speeds that are 100 to 300 times faster. While we are starting with CDMA, T-Mobile will be following a similar plan to transition customers from other 2G and 3G technologies in the future.”
The carrier assured Schatz and 12 other senators it plans to shutter its 3G CDMA network by January 1, 2021, but has no date certain for its 2G CDMA shutoff.
T-Mobile assured the senators that customers will pay the same as they do now or less for 4G and 5G service, in “contrast with others who impose a 5G surcharge.” It promises to give customers six months’ notice of CDMA shutdowns, and says it’s on track to complete the job by year-end. It also assures lawmakers that CDMA networks won’t be turned off before customers are migrated to the new networks.
T-Mobile says it provided DISH with 15 months’ notice of the CDMA shutdown plans and is helping DISH migrate customers onto the new T-Mobile network. T-Mobile says it’s also offered to help DISH obtain secure 4G/5G compatible handsets for its CDMA customers who need them.
The senators also asked Verizon similar questions about its legacy network shutdown plans, stating: “We must ensure that we do not leave these consumers behind in the move to 5G.” They note it’s been reported that Verizon plans to shutdown its 2G and 3G networks sometime in 2022. They asked Verizon questions such as how many customers rely on these networks and whether the carrier has told customers about migration plans.
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