Sprint, once one of the major telecommunications companies in the U.S., ceased to exist as an independent brand after it was acquired by T-Mobile. The merger was completed on April 1, 2020, and by August 2, 2020, the Sprint brand was officially discontinued, with all retail, customer service, and company branding switching to T-Mobile
. Sprint's decline was due to several strategic missteps over the years. Key issues included a problematic merger with Nextel, which involved incompatible network technologies (Sprint used CDMA, Nextel used iDEN), costly network transitions, and failure to keep pace with industry standards like 4G LTE, instead opting for Wi-Max technology that did not gain traction
. Additionally, Sprint struggled financially for over a decade, losing customers and revenue, which made it vulnerable to acquisition
. The merger with T-Mobile was seen as a lifeline, as Sprint was unlikely to recover independently and might have faced bankruptcy or restructuring otherwise
. After the acquisition, T-Mobile integrated Sprint's network and customer base, becoming the largest telecom company in the U.S., while Sprint as a brand disappeared completely
. In summary, Sprint's downfall was caused by a combination of failed technology strategies, costly mergers, financial struggles, and ultimately being absorbed by T-Mobile, which ended the Sprint brand in 2020
