T-Mobile US is sending out final reminders to customers still using the carrier’s GSM-based 2G network, a network that the carrier plans to shut down beginning August 3 as it looks to reduce network operation costs and re-use that spectrum for its more advanced networks.

The carrier’s “Network Evolution” page indicates plans to retire its 2G network next month, enticing them with the notion of “moving customers who are on old networks onto modern, advanced high-speed networks like 5G means they will need to have phones and devices that can tap into the latest technologies.”

“T-Mobile has been reaching out to customers with 2G phones for over two years and offering a free select 5G phone replacement – and will be reminding customers to bring their device in any condition to any T-Mobile store to get them upgraded,” the carrier added in an email.

T-Mobile US has been threatening this 2G shut down for years but has been stymied by legacy customers hanging on to older devices, this includes IoT-based devices that were initially launched with low-speed GPRS-based 2G data connections. The carrier also explained it was working through international roaming challenges.

“Some international roaming customers relied on circuit-switched fallback (falling back from LTE to the legacy 2G network for voice calls) because VoLTE [voice-over LTE] was not enabled by their home provider or on their device,” the carrier noted in an email on the news. “For over two and a half years, T-Mobile worked with most global providers to enable VoLTE to ensure no one loses service – voice or data.”

T-Mobile US’ 2G network in question dates back to the carrier’s early days as VoiceStream Wireless. That network was launched using “PCS” spectrum in the 1.9 GHz band.

The carrier’s network efforts were eventually bolstered by German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom (DT) purchasing VoiceStream and fellow GSM-based U.S. regional operator PowerTel in mid-2001, combing the two operators into what was at that time the first “nationwide” GSM-based network in the U.S. T-Mobile US further aligned its 2G spectrum support beginning in early 2012, a move that started its refarming of PCS spectrum supporting its GSM service in favor of eventually launching 4G LTE.

T-Mobile US did move decisively in shutting down networks it had obtained as part of its acquisition of Sprint, including the March 2022 shut down the CDMA-based 3G network and later that year shutting down Sprint’s 4G LTE network. T-Mobile US that year also retired its own UMTS-based 3G network.

T-Mobile US’ forward-looking network plans include a continued focus on bolstering spectrum support for its terrestrial 5G network, siphoning off some of that excess spectrum to support satellite-based communications, and starting work on technical aspects of a looming 6G network launch.