Sprint operated as a major US wireless carrier from 1899 until its acquisition by T-Mobile in 2020. This page exists as archived reference material — plan history, network details, and what happened to subscribers.
Sprint operated as one of the four major US wireless carriers for over a century, with origins as the Brown Telephone Company in 1899. By the 2010s, its CDMA network and aggressive pricing made it the value option for unlimited plans — though coverage gaps in rural areas and a struggling 4G LTE rollout left it lagging Verizon and AT&T.
April 1, 2020: T-Mobile completed its $26B acquisition of Sprint after regulatory approval. The Sprint brand was retired in stages, with most customer accounts migrated to T-Mobile by 2022. Sprint’s spectrum assets — particularly its 2.5 GHz mid-band — became the backbone of T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G expansion.
If you’re looking for what was Sprint, you’re looking for T-Mobile. We keep this page live for historical reference and for anyone tracking the evolution of US wireless.