AirLink Mobile was a prepaid wireless brand headquartered in Iowa. It ran on Sprint’s CDMA network. Wikipedia lists it among former US virtual carriers, with no end date. The network it used is gone too: Sprint shut down its CDMA network on May 31, 2022. An AirLink Mobile line cannot work today.
AirLink Mobile is gone
AirLink Mobile sold prepaid service on Sprint’s CDMA network. In May 2006, RCR Wireless reported the Iowa company planned to roll out a new prepaid lineup in nearly 5,000 stores. In October 2008, Simplexity partnered with it to sell a postpaid plan. Wikipedia now lists AirLink Mobile as a former virtual carrier but gives no end date. Sprint’s CDMA network, which carried AirLink lines, shut down on May 31, 2022.
If you had an AirLink Mobile line
No source names a carrier that took AirLink Mobile customers. A number still tied to an AirLink account cannot be ported out through the old company today. If you still need that number, ask your current carrier whether it can be recovered. Otherwise, pick any active carrier and start with a new number.
How AirLink Mobile ended
- May 26, 2006: RCR Wireless reports the Iowa prepaid brand runs on Sprint Nextel’s CDMA network and plans a rollout to nearly 5,000 stores.
- October 28, 2008: Simplexity launches a postpaid program with AirLink Mobile.
- April 1, 2020: T-Mobile US acquires Sprint.
- May 31, 2022: Sprint’s CDMA network, AirLink Mobile’s host, shuts down completely.
Why AirLink Mobile ended
The sources do not say why AirLink Mobile stopped operating. What is certain: it depended on Sprint’s CDMA network. T-Mobile US acquired Sprint on April 1, 2020, and Sprint’s CDMA network shut down completely on May 31, 2022. No brand could keep serving phones on that network after that date. Wikipedia lists AirLink Mobile as a former carrier with no end date, so the exact timing is unknown.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified AirLink Mobile
BestCellular.com tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this page comes from the sources listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. AirLink Mobile counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about AirLink Mobile
Is AirLink Mobile still available?
No. Wikipedia lists AirLink Mobile among former US virtual carriers. The Sprint CDMA network it used shut down on May 31, 2022, so no AirLink Mobile phone or plan can work today.
Which network did AirLink Mobile use?
Sprint’s CDMA network. RCR Wireless reported in May 2006 that AirLink operated on Sprint Nextel’s CDMA network, and Wikipedia lists Sprint as its host. Sprint is now part of T-Mobile US.
What happened to AirLink Mobile customers?
The sources do not say. No source names a carrier that took over AirLink Mobile customers. Former customers needed to move to another carrier, and any active carrier can serve them today.
Is AirLink Mobile the same as AirLink PCS in Michigan?
No source ties them together. AirLink PCS was a GSM “Super Cordless” service run by Barry County Telephone in southwest Michigan, per RCR Wireless in July 2000. AirLink Mobile was an Iowa prepaid brand on Sprint’s CDMA network.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States (Wikipedia): Lists AirLink Mobile under former MVNOs: host Sprint, CDMA, end date “?” (checked 2026-10-13).
- Airlink links with Brightstar (RCR Wireless): Iowa-based prepaid provider on Sprint Nextel’s CDMA network; ~5,000-store rollout (May 26, 2006).
- Simplexity launches MVNO program with Airlink Mobile (Telecompetitor): Postpaid partnership with Simplexity (October 28, 2008).
- Sprint Corporation (Wikipedia): T-Mobile acquired Sprint April 1, 2020; Sprint CDMA network shut down May 31, 2022.
- AirLink finds niche in ‘Super Cordless’ service (RCR Wireless): Separate Michigan company AirLink PCS, a Barry County Telephone unit (July 31, 2000).
Best Cellular. “AirLink Mobile: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/airlink-mobile/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.
Live carriers to look at instead
No carrier took over AirLink Mobile’s customers. These carriers publish their network and run today.