Saying Goodbye to Sprint

Sprint has been an icon both in the landline telephone business and, more recently, as a wireless provider. It was among the top four wireless carriers and was known for its affordable plans. That was then, but this is now.

Sprint’s quintessential brand is now officially obsolete after T-Mobile this week finalized its acquisition of the wireless carrier.

Tracing its roots back to 1899, Sprint is actually an acronym for Southern Pacific Railroad Internal Networking Telephony, one of its founding companies.

Sprint grew in the landline business, eventually competing with AT&T, which held a monopoly on long-distance telephony in the U.S.

Ultimately, Sprint migrated away from landline service and focused on wireless coverage. The company eventually grew to become the fourth-largest mobile provider in the United States.

Despite its long and successful history, the company could not compete with bigger rivals like AT&T and Verizon. Its network technology was falling behind, and customer numbers were dwindling.

When competition in the wireless industry was at an all-time high, T-Mobile pursued Sprint and eventually acquired the struggling carrier. This merger brought third biggest carrier in the U.S. and the fourth together under a single brand. It had a rocky start and took years to complete, but the deal was eventually sealed this spring.

“I want to acknowledge the Sprint history and its 120-year legacy that is now part of our legacy as we launch into this new era .. We did it! Another historic day for new T-Mobile!”

T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert

Effective this week, Sprint’s yellow branding is being replaced by T-Mobile’s eye-catching logo.

If you visit the Sprint.com website, it now redirects you to T-Mobile’s home page.

Sprint’s remaining retail stores also are now branded as T-Mobile and will be decked out in magenta. Customers will have access to T-Mobile’s growing 5G network and the carrier’s affordable cellular plans.