Cricket's CDMA Network Shutting Down Tuesday

When AT&T purchased Cricket Wireless last May, it announced that it would eventually be shutting down the legacy CDMA network and transferring everything over to AT&T’s GSM network instead. And, according to Fierce Wireless, the official shutdown date is Tuesday, September 15, 2015. According to the same article, Cricket said that there are a “few” customers still on the CDMA network in California and “a few additional locations” but around 97 percent of the former CDMA customers have all made the switch either to Cricket’s new GSM network or to other carriers. Cricket did say that the churn was far less than anticipated and that the reports from old CDMA customers are mostly positive. “The transition from CDMA to 4G LTE has gone extremely well,” Cricket said in a statement to FierceWireless. “We’ve exceeded our goals and come in ahead of schedule, all while creating a superior experience for our customers.” Prior to the transition, Cricket not only sent out notices to customers who would be effected but also offered device trade-ins (as CDMA devices will not work on the GSM network), credits and promotional offers to keep customers. As the shutdown came close, Cricket reportedly sent out reminders and notices to customers who have not switched. However, as of tomorrow, all customers still on the network will officially lose service and likely their numbers as well. AT&T’s Cricket has had an excellent receiption from users and in my opinion is one of the best prepaid values on the AT&T network. The company offers BYOD as well as smartphones to purchase and has plans ranging from $40 – $60 with discounts for autopay. To check out Cricket’s GSM platform and current offerings, visit Cricket’s website.]]>