Las Vegas to lose Metro PCS network by 2015
Las Vegas is among three cities slated to lose the Metro PCS network by the end of 2014, according to information from T-Mobile’s fourth-quarter conference call with analysts and media.
Metro PCS, a wireless carrier similar to Verizon or AT&T that was a prepaid regional operator, merged with T-Mobile in May 2013. T-Mobile has been trying since then to move customers from Metro PCS devices on the older CDMA-based network to T-Mobile devices on the faster GSM and LTE frequencies.
The company wasn’t originally planning to start turning off the Metro PCS network until 2015, but will start ahead of schedule in Las Vegas, Boston and Philadelphia.
Metro PCS customers in those cities will have to switch to T-Mobile devices by then to be switched to the faster networks. If they don’t switch, they’ll be considered to be roaming, but won’t have to worry about losing cellphone service entirely.
About 40 percent of Metro PCS customers already have switched to T-Mobile devices, according to Engadget.
T-Mobile representatives told CNET the company plans to continue using the Metro PCS name in order to target a different demographic than T-Mobile normally attracts.
Contact Stephanie Grimes at sgrimes@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @stephgrimes
