A leaked newsletter by Android Central revealed that Sprint will be shutting down its mobile WiMax network on Nov. 6, 2015, a date which was confirmed by Fierce Wireless.
It was already revealed several months ago through a filing for the Securities and Exchange Commission that the WiMax network of Sprint, which was launched in 2008 as the first commercial 4G network in the United States, will be shut down before the end of next year.
The leaked newsletter also states that letters regarding the coming shutdown will be sent out to Sprint's corporate accounts beginning this week, which will include a note that states that smartphones working on both the WiMax network and Sprint's 3G network will still be able to connect to the 3G network. There will be no renewals or extensions of services through the WiMax network beyond the shutdown date, including any custom network setups.
The letter will also include options for smartphones, at low costs or no cost, which will work with Sprint's Spark and 4G LTE networks.
About 180 days before the shutdown of WiMax, the newsletter states that the company will be sending out the first notification letters to its individual and prepaid customers, of which the exact time will be determined at a later date.
The shutdown date of Nov. 6, 2015, was confirmed to Fierce Wireless by Adrienne Norton, a spokeswoman for Sprint.
"Most WiMAX subscribers are upgrade eligible due to the age of their device," Norton said, in relation to the contents of the leaked newsletter. "In addition, offers are being planned for targeted postpaid WiMAX subscribers prior to the WiMAX network shutdown."
Norton added that the company is encouraging its mobile virtual network operators to communicate with customers regarding the pending shutdown of the WiMax network, along with notifying them regarding the possible impacts of the shut down and the options that they have.
Sprint has also developed an online resource center for the sharing of updates, marketing ideas, and other items with the company's MVNOs.
FreedomPop, an MVNO of Sprint that sells devices compatible with the WiMax network, told Wireless Week that it has implemented for the last year an LTE swap program that allows customers to trade in their WiMax gadgets. According to FreedomPop, swaps number about a few thousand monthly.
The shutdown of the WiMax network will follow the same fate of the iDEN Nextel network of Sprint, which it shut down last year.
