Nextel iDEN customers have one month to upgrade to Sprint's CDMA push-to-talk service, or face an extra $10 per month on their bill.
In preparation for the June 2013 shutdown of the Nextel push-to-talk line, Sprint on Jan. 1 will start charging customers who remain on its iDEN network an extra $10 each month, according to Phone Scoop.
Sprint announced in May that that it will shut down the 2G iDEN Nextel National Network as early as June 30, 2013 as part of its Network Vision plan, which involves moving the company's CDMA network to a new technology called 1X Advanced.
Sprint did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment, but confirmed to Phone Scoop yesterday that the price increase will not affect customers currently using its CDMA network.
"Customers that migrate prior to January will likely find a price plan comparable to what they have now," a Sprint spokesman told the blog. "They are also eligible to receive a variety of very attractive device offers."
Sprint started sending written notices about the iDEN shutdown to business and government customers beginning June 1. Sprint first announced plans to shut down Nextel iDen back in 2010; at the time, it said the network would be done by 2017.
The move is Sprint's attempt to integrate the new 1X Advanced technology, which works as a supercharger for even the network's most basic 2G coverage — the part that handles voice calls. The Qualcomm-developed system lets cell sites handle up to four times its current number of callers, and allows extended voice coverage 70 percent wider than on previous 1X technology.
For more, see Sprint: A Better Network is Coming.
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