Operators are developing their networks to better support new technologies and, as a result, some phones are being abandoned. Now, some T-Mobile documents reveal that the operator plans to abandon any phone that does not support VoLTE in just a few months.
Internal documents obtained by Android Police (photo below) reveal what’s in store for T-Mobile customers in January.
T-Mobile will shut down its 2G and 3G networks and, as a result, will leave many phones without support for voice calls and potentially the network as a whole. Apparently, the operator has plans to demand that everyone New the phones on your network support VoLTE as of August 4, 2020. After that, all devices using T-Mobile will be required to support VoLTE until January 31, 2021. This regardless of whether or not the device is in use by a customer.
Update 24/12: Since this change was originally reported, more details have surfaced. The change will take effect on January 29, 2021 and includes the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy S5 Duos, HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle, Desire 650 and Nexus 9. Huawei’s Mate 8 and P9 are also included in the list, as well as the OnePlus One, Sony Xperia Z3, Z3 Compact and Z3 Orion. ZTE ZMax, Soyea M02, Quanta Dragon IR7, Netgear’s Arlo Security Camera System and Mikrotikls SIA_R11e-LTE6.
For affected customers, Android Police reports that T-Mobile will offer free replacement devices. The offer for these free devices starts today and includes the Samsung Galaxy A21, Galaxy A11, Alcatel GO FLIP 3 and T-Mobile REVVL 4.
What does this mean for customers? Potentially, many will need to buy a new smartphone. T-Mobile has supported VoLTE on most unlocked smartphones, and most devices sold in the United States have supported the technology for years. I would say that for the vast majority of customers, this will not be a problem.
Still, customers who may have imported a smartphone not officially sold in the United States that still works on the T-Mobile network – think Oppo, Huawei or Xiaomi – will likely find that their device can no longer make calls, and may cause data problems too.
Customers affected by this change will apparently receive a text at some point in the near future to inform them of the change. T-Mobile’s documentation also confirms that Metro (formerly MetroPCS) will also be affected by this change. It is not clear whether other MVNOs using the T-Mobile network, such as Google Fi, Mint Mobile, Consumer Cellular and others will be affected, however.
Notably, too, this is just a day after AT&T started informing (and deceiving) customers about a similar change, but its cut ended a year later.
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