How Does the T-Mobile Merger Impact Sprint Customers?
Sprint is no more and you might have a lot of concerns about the T-Mobile merger if you are a Sprint customer. For now, Sprint’s plans aren't changing.
Nov. 5 2020, Updated 11:22 a.m. ET
On Apr. 1, T-Mobile closed its $26.5 billion acquisition of Sprint to create New T-Mobile. The merger brought the total number of major wireless service providers in the U.S. from four to three. The merged company is in a better position to compete with larger competitors like Verizon and AT&T. Here’s what the Sprint and T-Mobile merger means for Sprint customers.
When did T-Mobile buy Sprint?
In April 2018, T-Mobile and Sprint announced their merger deal. The merger deal was officially completed after nearly two years. The acquisition deal faced various legal hurdles like lawsuits from a number of states and a review from the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice and the FCC approved the acquisition deal after T-Mobile and Sprint agreed to divest certain wireless assets to Dish Network.
Dish acquired Sprint’s prepaid assets and a certain wireless spectrum for $5 billion. The T-Mobile and Sprint merger deal also faced a lawsuit filed by several state attorneys general on antitrust concerns. The states alleged that the combination would increase wireless prices and reduce competition. However, the U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero rejected states’ allegations and allowed T-Mobile to merge with Sprint.
How long are Sprint plans good for?
T-Mobile said that it will likely take three years to fully integrate Sprint’s network and its operations. For now, it's business as usual. Sprint subscribers will still use Sprint’s network and existing T-Mobile subscribers will still use T-Mobile’s network. According to a report from TheVerge, “Sprint customers shouldn’t expect to see T-Mobile’s branding pop up in the corner of their phone, and neither network will be leveraging the expanded coverage and speeds promised by the merger just yet.”
Sprint’s plans also won't change for now. T-Mobile isn’t making any changes to existing Sprint customers' rate plans. Eventually, Sprint customers will receive additional benefits and award-winning customer service similar to T-Mobile customers. Payments and billing for Sprint subscribers will stay the same. T-Mobile has agreed to not raise its prices for wireless services until 2023.
Should Sprint customers switch to T-Mobile?
Sprint customers can still change or update their plans. They can also continue to add new lines if they want to. They can even switch over to T-Mobile. Transferring the service from Sprint to T-Mobile doesn't count as a new account. So, Sprint customers won’t receive the added benefits like a new T-Mobile subscriber.
The prices are almost identical between the two wireless service providers, except for Sprint’s premium unlimited plan, which costs $5 less than T-Mobile’s Magneta Plus plan. Budget-minded subscribers should choose Sprint for lower plan prices. Subscribers looking for high performance and data-heavy users should choose T-Mobile.
Is T-Mobile better than Sprint?
There isn't a competition between T-Mobile and Sprint when it comes to LTE data speeds. T-Mobile provides faster speeds and more reliable coverage. You can expect an average download speed of 13.9 Mbps with Sprint compared to 21.1 Mbps with T-Mobile. Technical metrics, as examined through the Ookla Speed Score and the RootMetrics Overall Performance score, suggest T-Mobile's dominance.