Sprint has been working hard to get its iDEN push-to-talk customers off of that network and on to its CDMA Direct Connect service. So far this year, the carrier has begun decommissioning iDEN towers, ceased sales of iDEN devices and expanded its Direct Connect coverage. Today the Now Network revealed that the next step that it'll take to help nudge Nextel iDEN customers in the direction of Direct Connect is an additional monthly fee. Sprint has confirmed to Phone Scoop that any customers using the iDEN network after January 1, 2013 will be charged an extra $10 each month.

For those customers that'd like to avoid handing over an extra $10 per month for push-to-talk service, Sprint has said in the past that it will give support to users switching from iDEN to Direct Connect. A spokesperson for the carrier also said today that customers looking to switch before January "will likely find a price plan comparable to what they have now" and are "eligible to receive a variety of very attractive device offers."

It's clear that Sprint is working to move folks off of iDEN and retain them as customers by getting them to sign up for Direct Connect service. Its efforts appear to be increasing as we near the shutoff of the iDEN network, which Sprint has said will happen as early as June 2013. Are you or anyone you know still humming along on the iDEN network?

Via Phone Scoop