Cricket has confirmed that the CDMA network currently being operated by the brand while it transitions to AT&T’s GSM network will begin to be shutdown starting in March of this year. Markets expected to be affected by the move include cities in Arkansas, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and other markets with native Cricket CDMA coverage. The full list is below along with a footnote regarding California Lifeline services currently operated on the CDMA network:
March/April 2015 – Initial sunset markets include, by state:
· Washington, DC
· AR: Little Rock, Fayetteville and Fort Smith
· DE: Wilmington
· IL: Chicago and Northern Illinois
· IN: South Bend
· MD: Baltimore
· NJ: Atlantic City
· NY: Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse
· PA: Philadelphia
May/June 2015 – A second group of markets is slated for sunset in the summer of 2015:
· KS: Wichita
· NM: Albuquerque and Las Cruces
· NV: Las Vegas
· OK: Oklahoma City and Tulsa
August/September 2015 – All other legacy CDMA markets not identified above will be turned down by mid-September 2015.[1]
[1] AT&T also made a commitment to the California Public Utilities Commission that Cricket would remain a federal Lifeline-only ETC in California and continue to provide a Lifeline discount to customers within its CDMA service area 18 months post close or mid-September 2015. Cricket intends to honor those commitments.
