Sprint Gets Serious About iDEN Shutdown

Sprint now plans to transition business and government customers away from its iDEN (2G) Nextel National Network and onto Sprint Direct Connect — its next-gen PTT service that operates on the carrier’s 3G CDMA network. Notifications will begin June 1.

Sprint also plans to shut down the iDEN Nextel National Network as early as June 30, 2013 as part of its Network Vision plan. It will stop selling iDEN devices in all channels and all brands carrying iDEN Nextel products during the next several months. However, Sprint CDMA voice and data services on PowerSource devices (dual-mode iDEN and CDMA devices) will continue to be available. 

“Sprint will continue to support customers with iDEN devices during the network transition and will work with those customers to ease their transition to Sprint’s CDMA service,” the carrier says, adding, “Network Vision is expected to add net economic value for Sprint from reduced roaming costs, cell site reduction, backhaul efficiencies, more efficient use of capital and energy costs savings.”