T-Mobile delays shutdown of Sprint 3G network by three months

T-Mobile continues to update its network to 5G, but Sprint’s 3G network has a few more months before it’s taken offline. The carrier originally planned to shut down its antiquated network on Jan. 1, but it appears one of the company’s partners needs more time with Sprint’s 3G network.

The 3G network will stay up until March 31, T-Mobile said in a press release Friday. The company says the three-month extension is due to some of its partners that “haven’t followed through on their responsibility to help their customers through this shift.” 

There were no specifics provided on which partner, but in recent months, Dish has taken issue with the Jan. 1 deadline. Dish owns Boost Mobile, which still makes use of Sprint’s 3G network for its customers. The company said Boost customers could lose their service on that date, and Dish chairman, Charlie Ergen, said T-Mobile has “become the Grinch.”

T-Mobile responded in kind in August by saying Dish has been “dragging their feet” on upgrading customers and calling it a manufactured crisis. 

Dish and T-Mobile didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.