In the past, we’ve seen T-Mobile spread the reach of its MetroPCS prepaid brand to several new markets, including Cincinnati and Portland. Today we’ve learned that the opposite will soon happen in a couple of other parts of the country.
MetroPCS has revealed that its CDMA network will shut down in Las Vegas and New England on July 1. The operator has set up a web page for its subscribers in those areas, explaining that they need to upgrade to a new phone by June 30 and that the phones operating on its legacy network will stop working on July 1.
The good news is that MetroPCS is helping its customers in Las Vegas and New England move to T-Mobile’s network. The carrier says that its users can bring in a qualifying phone to a MetroPCS store and trade it in for an instant upgrade credit that can be applied to a new model, including ones that are free.
T-Mobile has said in the past that it eventually would begin repurposing MetroPCS’ spectrum to improve its own 4G LTE network, so it’s no surprise that Metro’s network is starting to shut down. The good news is that T-Mo and MetroPCS are not only giving customers a heads-up about the impending shutdown, but that they’re also offering existing customers a way to get a new phone on the cheap.
If you’re a MetroPCS customer in Las Vegas or New England, hit up this page right here for more details on how to upgrade to a new handset.
UPDATE: T-Mobile pinged us to clarify its plans for the MetroPCS network. Here’s what the magenta carrier had to say:
“We are not shuttering service for MetroPCS customers. We ARE moving MetroPCS 3G CDMA customers to a better, faster network and offering them 4G HSPA+/LTE phones – giving them a better experience on a better network at almost no cost to them.”
Via PhoneScoop, MetroPCS
