Sprint

What Sprint does

Sprint was a major U.S. wireless telecommunications carrier that provided mobile voice, text, and data services to consumer and business customers across the United States. The company operated 4G LTE network infrastructure and held significant spectrum assets, operating as the third or fourth largest U.S. wireless carrier prior to its combination with T-Mobile. Its business model was subscription-based recurring wireless service revenue, distributed through retail stores, dealer networks, and direct sales channels. Sprint also historically operated wireline long-distance voice and data center services prior to the T-Mobile merger.

Sprint's corporate history was defined by a series of large M&A transactions. The 2005 acquisition of Nextel Communications for $37.8 billion produced a $30 billion goodwill write-off and is widely regarded as one of the largest M&A disasters in telecom. SoftBank acquired Sprint in 2013 for $21.5 billion, the largest overseas acquisition by a Japanese company at the time. Sprint then acquired Clearwire (2012, $2.2 billion), Virgin Mobile USA (2009), and iPCS (2009, $831 million) to augment spectrum and customer base. In April 2020, T-Mobile US completed its acquisition of Sprint in a deal valued at approximately $26 billion; Sprint's wireless operations were merged into T-Mobile, while its wireline assets were divested to Cogent Communications Holdings.

Following the 2020 combination, Sprint ceased to operate as an independent entity. The Sprint brand was retired, customers were migrated to T-Mobile plans, and the company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of T-Mobile US (which is in turn majority-controlled by Deutsche Telekom AG with a 52.8% stake). The company was also subject to FCC enforcement action, including a $12-12.5 million fine for selling customer location data to third parties without adequate consent — a penalty upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in an 8-1 ruling confirming FCC's constitutional authority to impose such penalties on carriers.

Name

Sprint

Legal name

Sprint Corporation

Website

https://sprint.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Sprint was a major U.S. wireless telecommunications carrier providing mobile voice, text, and data services to consumer and business customers nationwide, operating 4G LTE network infrastructure until its 2020 merger with T-Mobile US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wireless Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112)

SIC

Radiotelephone Communications (4812)

akta.pro primary industry

International Voice Wholesale (carrier voice, termination, A2P routing) (HDAIAEAD)

Keywords

• Wireless telecommunications
• Mobile network services
• 4G LTE infrastructure
• Postpaid wireless plans
• Cellular voice data

Headquarters

HQ city

Hillsboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Wireline Services: Sprint's wireline network services including long-distance voice and data transmission, which continued to generate revenue attrition post-merger as assets were transitioned to Cogent Communications following the T-Mobile acquisition.

Core offering

Sprint provided mobile wireless voice and data services across the United States, including mobile phone plans, smartphone device offerings, and wireless connectivity delivered over its 4G LTE network. The company also operated a wireline network offering long-distance voice and data transmission services to enterprises. Following the 2020 merger with T-Mobile, Sprint ceased operations as an independent carrier and the brand was retired.

Product overview

Sprint was a telecommunications carrier company that operated as a single unified product offering (wireless mobile services) before being acquired by T-Mobile in 2020. Following the merger, Sprint as an independent brand no longer exists. The Sprint wireless network was integrated into T-Mobile's infrastructure, with customers migrated to T-Mobile plans and services. Legacy Sprint wireline assets were subsequently sold to Cogent Communications Holdings. The product portfolio consisted primarily of mobile phone plans, device offerings, and wireless connectivity services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sprint Wireless Services (Historical)
• Sprint Wireline Network Services (Historical)

Quantifiable outcome

• Sprint's 4G LTE network and spectrum assets were key drivers for the $26 billion T-Mobile merger

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• T-MobilecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sprint-T-Mobile merger, valued at $26 billion, was completed in 2020. Sprint was merged into T-Mobile, with the combined entity operating under the T-Mobile brand. The merger fulfilled Sprint-era 5G promises, with T-Mobile delivering 98% 5G coverage nationally by 2026.
• Cogent CommunicationsminorOthersCogent Communications acquired Sprint's wireline assets following the T-Mobile merger, including 10 former Sprint data centers being sold in early summer 2026. Cogent is repurposing Sprint's dormant long-distance voice network for wavelength services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Verizon: Verizon is the largest U.S. wireless carrier and the dominant premium-network competitor to Sprint across consumer and enterprise segments. As a broad incumbent, Verizon competes across postpaid, prepaid, FWA home internet, and business wireless, with substantially greater scale and spectrum depth.
• AT&T: AT&T is the second-largest U.S. wireless carrier and a direct Sprint competitor across consumer, business, and government segments. AT&T also bundles wireless with wireline and fiber broadband, giving it broader product scope than Sprint's mobile-first portfolio.

Direct peers

• T-Mobile US: T-Mobile is the acquirer of Sprint and now operates as the second-largest U.S. wireless carrier. Pre-merger, T-Mobile was Sprint's most direct head-to-head competitor in the no-contract / value-tier segment, and the two competed across consumer postpaid, prepaid, and business wireless markets.
• Mint Mobile: Mint Mobile is a low-cost MVNO that disrupted the prepaid segment in which Sprint historically competed (Boost, Virgin Mobile). Mint was acquired by T-Mobile in 2024, illustrating consolidation pressure across the prepaid / value tier where Sprint competed.
• Consumer Cellular: Consumer Cellular is an MVNO focused on the 50+ demographic, overlapping with Sprint's senior and value-tier customer base. It competes in the same simplified-plan, no-contract segment that Sprint targeted with its core offerings.
• Dish Network (Boost Mobile / EchoStar): EchoStar acquired Boost Mobile as part of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger divestiture and is now building a greenfield 5G network. It competes as the fourth nationwide wireless carrier, occupying the slot Sprint held prior to the T-Mobile merger.
• Cricket Wireless: Cricket Wireless is AT&T's prepaid brand, competing directly with Sprint's prepaid offerings (including Sprint's legacy Virgin Mobile USA) in the value segment. Both brands target price-sensitive consumer and family-plan customers.
• Google Fi: Google Fi is an MVNO operating on T-Mobile's network, competing in the simplified, no-contract consumer segment where Sprint historically competed. It represents the newer wave of digital-first, app-centric carriers that pressured traditional carriers like Sprint.
• TracFone: TracFone was the largest U.S. prepaid MVNO and was acquired by Verizon in 2021. It competed directly with Sprint's Boost and Virgin Mobile brands in the prepaid wireless segment.
• US Cellular: US Cellular is a regional U.S. wireless carrier competing in similar mid-tier markets where Sprint operated. As a smaller carrier, US Cellular has faced comparable spectrum and scale challenges and announced a T-Mobile spectrum/ customer sale in 2024.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sprint
• Facebookfacebook.com/sprint
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sprint

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A6 records

Investments10 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sprint