Verizon shutting down CDMA network?

[henryvuong]

I came accross some news that Verizon is shutting down its CDMA network. There are conflicting information about this topic. As far as I know, Verizon still supports current subscribers with CDMA phones, but new customers cannot activate CDMA phones. I hope someone will help me answer these questions:

1. If a current subscriber, who is using a CDMA phone, wants to replace her phone with another CDMA phone, will Verizon transfer the account onto the replacing phone?
2. I was told that Verizon still activates CDMA phones for new customers who use prepaid service, is that true?

Thanks in advance

[vzw_customer_support · Accepted solution]

henryvuong, I can certainly understand your concern in regard to activating CDMA-only devices on our network. To answer your first question, you will no longer be able to activate a CDMA-only device on our postpaid service accounts. For your second question, you can currently still activate CDMA devices on our prepaid services. I hope this helps.

KevinM_VZW
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[boringusername]

1) No you can not activate on CDMA only devices on the network as of July 1st. If you have a device already on the network it can stay until Dec 31st 2019.

2) Some MVNO complained and Verizon did extend the deadline to them from July 1st to Dec 31st 2018. Whether this applies to Verizon prepaid I'm not sure. In any case in 535 days those phones become paperweghts

[glitchedpixel]

Why?

Verizon and Sprint are the only carriers that still do CDMA. The other carriers and the rest of the world are on GSM. There is no benefit to keeping this legacy analog network around or catering to CDMA only devices.

[Ann154]

They are not analog devices. They are digital CDMA. The analog network was shutdown years ago.

[boringusername]

glitchedpixel wrote:

Why?

Verizon and Sprint are the only carriers that still do CDMA. The other carriers and the rest of the world are on GSM. There is no benefit to keeping this legacy analog network around or catering to CDMA only devices.

analog shut down decade ago