Sprint shutting down iDEN services in 2013, paves the way for broad LTE coverage

Sprint shutting down iDEN services in 2013, paves the way for broad LTE coverage
After all this time, Sprint is finally ready to let go of the Nextel iDEN platform that it acquired when it purchased Nextel Communications in 2005.

With last week’s FCC approval of 3G and 4G deployment on the ESMR bandthat currently runs iDEN, Sprint can now officially begin the process to eliminate iDEN, thus reducing the huge costs associated with running a network that required maintaining old, expensive equipment. While Sprint was previously shutting down iDEN cells as part of the Network Vision upgrade, it claimed it was only eliminating excess capacity to reallocate for CDMA2000 and LTEservices.

Now, Sprint has announcedthat it will earnestly shut down all iDEN services by June 30, 2013. Because iDEN’s Push to Talk service is used by businesses and government agencies primarily, Sprint will begin notifying all iDEN customers that they need to replace iDEN equipment with Sprint Direct Connect CDMA equipment on June 1. All Nextel-branded products and all devices offering iDEN connectivity will be discontinued, which includes Boost Mobile’s iDEN products.

This step is critical, as Sprint can no longer delay shutting iDEN down. Not only is Sprint squeezed for money, it is squeezed for spectrum too. It wants to have LTE running over ESMR in 2014 so that it can offer the same breadth of coverage that Verizon Wireless and AT&T do. Hopefully, there will be nothing to delay the shutdown in the next year. If Sprint cannot offer broad LTE coverage by late 2014, it will even be unable to catch up to T-Mobile, as the carrier’s LTE deployment planswill bring broad LTE coverage by then as well. Without broad coverage, Sprint will have no technical advantages over its competitors, which will surely lead to a hemorrhage of customers, and possibly death.