Of the 294 US wireless brands we track, 94 have shut down for good. Most died for one of three reasons: the Sprint network shutdown in 2022, an acquisition that retired the brand, or the business simply failing. If you still hold a number from one of them, the number is usually recoverable, but porting it is harder than porting a live line.

Every confirmed US carrier that shut down

Each row is confirmed from the carrier’s own notice or a dated public record, and the source is cited on that brand’s page. Brands we could not confirm are not on this list. Where a carrier never published a shutdown date, the cell says so rather than guessing.

Brand	When	What happened	Where customers went
7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless	2010	7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless was a prepaid service sold in US 7-Eleven stores on Cingular’s network. It stopped operating in the US in 2010; the brand continues in Canada.	No US successor; brand continues in Canada
Aio Wireless	May 2014	AT&T launched it in 2013 as a prepaid brand and folded it into Cricket Wireless in May 2014.	Cricket Wireless
AirLink Mobile	End date not published	AirLink Mobile, an Iowa prepaid brand on Sprint’s CDMA network, no longer operates. The sources do not state the exact date it ended.	No single successor carrier
Alaska Communications Wireless	February 2, 2015	It sold its wireless business to GCI, and the sale closed on February 2, 2015.	GCI Wireless
Alltel	Early 2016	Split between Verizon and AT&T, then dissolved by AT&T	Verizon and AT&T
Amp’d Mobile	2007	It was a mobile virtual network operator on Verizon Wireless’s network that went bankrupt in 2007.	No single successor
AT&T GoPhone	July 12, 2017	Renamed AT&T Prepaid; the service never stopped.	AT&T Prepaid
Best Cellular	Date not published	Stopped operating as a wireless carrier	Lines closed, numbers released
Big Sky Mobile	2017	Big Sky Mobile ended in 2017. It sold its spectrum licenses to AT&T and T-Mobile and exited the wireless business.	No single successor carrier
Blaze Wireless	December 2019	Blaze Wireless ended in December 2019. Its parent, Pinpoint Communications, discontinued cellular service.	No single successor carrier
Bluegrass Cellular	March 5, 2021	It no longer sells service under its own name.	Verizon Postpaid
Bluegreen Mobile	Not published	Stopped activating lines around 2016; the company published no shutdown notice.	No single successor
Boom Mobile	June 2026	It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2026 and service stopped the same month.	No single successor
Boost Infinite	July 17, 2024	Boost folded it into Boost Mobile on July 17, 2024.	Boost Mobile
Brightspot	December 31, 2015	Brightspot was Target’s in-store prepaid phone service on T-Mobile’s network. It launched in October 2013 and ended on December 31, 2015.	No single successor carrier
Budget Mobile	2017	Relinquished its Lifeline designations state by state in 2017; Kentucky service ended May 31, 2017.	No single successor
BYO Wireless	September 2015	Its customers were transferred to Budget Mobile in September 2015, and that brand is gone too.	Budget Mobile
Carolina West Wireless	September 30, 2026	Shut down its wireless service after 35 years and transferred its network to Verizon.	Verizon
Charge	June 30, 2017	Sprint MVNO, ended operations	Not published
Chariton Valley Wireless	2021	It no longer sells service under its own name.	Verizon Postpaid
Chat Mobility	December 31, 2024	Sold its network assets to Verizon and ceased operations on December 31, 2024.	Verizon Postpaid
Cincinnati Bell Wireless	early 2015	Cincinnati Bell sold its wireless spectrum to Verizon in 2014 and moved its customers off the network in early 2015.	No single successor
ClearTalk	March 16, 2018	ClearTalk discontinued service on March 16, 2018. Parent Flat Wireless shut its network and moved customers to Boost Mobile.	Boost Mobile
Clearwire	2015	It sold wireless broadband on a WiMAX network, and Sprint switched that network off in 2015.	T-Mobile Postpaid
Common Cents Mobile	May 2011	Common Cents Mobile was Sprint’s 7-cent-a-minute prepaid brand sold only at Walmart. Sprint folded it into Virgin Mobile payLo in May 2011.	Virgin Mobile USA (payLo)
CTC Wireless	2019	CTC Wireless exited the wireless business in 2019. It was the cellular brand of CTC Telecom, Inc. of Cambridge, Idaho.	No single successor carrier
CTExcel	January 3, 2022	China Telecom Americas exited US wireless resale under an FCC revocation order; no carrier took the customers.	None; customers chose their own carrier
DataPass	March 2019	DataPass was a small US MVNO that resold T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon service. It launched in early 2018 and quietly shut down at the start of March 2019.	No single successor carrier
Disney Mobile	December 31, 2007	It was an MVNO on Sprint’s network, built around a Family Center with parental controls, and Disney closed it on December 31, 2007.	No single successor
DTC Wireless	Date not published	No longer offers wireless service	Not published
EarthLink Wireless	March 2005	EarthLink’s original wireless service launched in 2004. EarthLink moved about 27,000 subscribers into SK-EarthLink, later called Helio, in 2005.	Helio (SK-EarthLink joint venture)
Embarq Wireless	2009	Embarq, the former Sprint landline company, resold Sprint cell service. It stopped new sign-ups in early 2008 and ended its wireless service in 2009.	No single successor carrier
enVie Mobile	Date not published	Out of business; H2O Wireless discontinued the brand	H2O Wireless
Español Mobile	Date not published	Out of business	Not published
FairPoint Communications	July 3, 2017	FairPoint Communications was acquired by Consolidated Communications on July 3, 2017. FairPoint customers became Consolidated customers.	Consolidated Communications
Firefly Mobile	2012	Firefly Mobile made the Firefly, a kids’ phone with no number keypad, launched in 2005 and sold with its own wireless service. Wikipedia’s carrier list shows the service ended in 2012.	No single successor carrier
Flash Wireless	December 2021	The brand was retired in December 2021 and the company was dissolved into ACN Communication Services in January 2023.	No single successor
Frontier Communications	January 20, 2026	Verizon acquired Frontier Communications on January 20, 2026. The business now runs as Frontier, a Verizon Company.	Verizon (Frontier, a Verizon Company)
GIV Mobile	January 31, 2016	GIV Mobile was a T-Mobile MVNO that donated 8 percent of revenue to a charity the customer picked. It shut down with sister brand Ptel on January 31, 2016.	No single successor carrier
GreatCall	May 2021	The name changed in May 2021 and the service never stopped.	Lively
Helio	May 25, 2010	Helio was a premium phone service on Sprint’s network from SK Telecom and EarthLink. Virgin Mobile USA bought it in 2008, and Sprint ended Helio service on May 25, 2010.	Sprint postpaid (by customer choice)
Hello Mobile	January 2025	Absorbed into Liberty Wireless in December 2024; the brand stopped operating in January 2025.	Liberty Wireless
HipHop Global Mobile	2018	Its website no longer exists.	No single successor
Indigo Wireless	2023	It stopped selling mobile service to retail customers in 2023.	No single successor
Jump Mobile	February 26, 2010	Jump Mobile was Leap Wireless’s per-minute prepaid brand on the Cricket network. Leap replaced it with Cricket PayGo from October 2008 and retired the brand on February 26, 2010.	Cricket Wireless
KDDI Mobile	January 2019	KDDI Mobile ended in early 2019. Telrite Holdings bought its operator, Locus Telecommunications, from KDDI America in January 2019, and the KDDI Mobile SIM site moved to H2O Wireless Japan.	H2O Wireless (H2O Wireless Japan)
Leap Wireless	2014	It was the parent company of Cricket Wireless until AT&T bought it in 2014.	Cricket Wireless
Maxsip Telecom	2026	Maxsip Telecom is winding down operations — that is the company’s own wording.	No single successor
Millenicom	October 31, 2014	Millenicom was a mobile internet provider that resold Verizon Wireless service. It ended its Verizon plans and its operations as a provider on October 31, 2014, and customers had to deal directly with Verizon.	Verizon Postpaid
Mobile ESPN	2006	ESPN sold a sports-focused phone service as an MVNO on Sprint’s network and stopped selling it in 2006.	No single successor
MobileNation	Not published	No longer in service; the company published no shutdown notice.	No single successor
MTA Solutions	August 1, 2017	MTA Solutions ended its cell phone service, MTA Wireless, as of August 1, 2017. The Alaska co-op kept its internet and landline business.	No single successor carrier
Next G Mobile	December 31, 2013	Next G Mobile was a small prepaid-style reseller on the Verizon network. It went offline and out of business as of December 31, 2013.	No single successor carrier
Nextel	June 30, 2013	Sprint bought Nextel in 2005 and shut the Nextel iDEN network down on June 30, 2013.	T-Mobile Postpaid
NTT DoCoMo USA	2016	Discontinued its US wireless service	Not published
Open Mobile PR	May 30, 2018	Merged into a Sprint joint venture in 2017; the brand became Boost Mobile, and the prepaid base passed to Liberty in 2024.	Liberty Mobile
OTG Mobile	Not published	Its website no longer exists.	No single successor
Pioneer Cellular	2023	Moved its mobile customers to Verizon and exited wireless to focus on broadband.	Verizon
PlatinumTel Mobile	Date not published	Went out of business	Numbers ported out or deactivated
PrepaYd Wireless	Date not published	Went out of business	Numbers ported out or deactivated
PrimeCo	April 2000	It was a national wireless alliance that became part of Verizon Wireless in April 2000.	No single successor
Project Fi	2018	The name changed in 2018 and the service still runs.	Google Fi
PTel	January 31, 2016	Shut down with GIV Mobile; the port-out deadline was February 5, 2016.	No single successor
Puppy Wireless	2016	Its assets were acquired in 2016 and the retail brand has not sold service since.	No single successor
Q Link Wireless	Date not published	Shut down and debarred	Lifeline customers reassigned
Qwest Wireless	October 31, 2009	Qwest Wireless shut down on October 31, 2009. Qwest moved most customers to Verizon Wireless first and waived early termination fees for the rest.	Verizon Postpaid
Reach Mobile	August 18, 2026	Consumer service ended; the Reach site says Reach Mobile is now Slate Mobile, and the company sells its platform to cable operators instead.	Slate Mobile
Republic Wireless	2023	DISH bought it in 2021 and moved every customer to Boost Infinite in 2023; Boost Infinite was folded into Boost Mobile in 2024.	Boost Mobile
Revol Wireless	January 16, 2014	This Ohio-based regional carrier ended service on January 16, 2014, after selling its licenses to Sprint.	No single successor
RingPlus	February 21, 2017	RingPlus shut down in February 2017 after Sprint moved to cut it off. Its customers were moved to Ting Mobile, with a final deadline of February 21, 2017.	Ting Mobile
ROK Mobile	Date not published	Shut down Verizon service, then the Sprint side	Not published
Scratch Wireless	April 2016	Scratch Wireless was discontinued in April 2016. The Wi-Fi-first carrier, which roamed onto Sprint, stopped selling service and never returned.	No single successor carrier
Shentel Wireless	July 1, 2021	Shentel sold its wireless business to T-Mobile in a deal that closed July 1, 2021. Shentel still exists, but it no longer sells cell service.	T-Mobile Postpaid
Skype	May 5, 2025	Microsoft retired Skype on May 5, 2025. Users were moved to the free version of Microsoft Teams, and Skype phone services are winding down.	Microsoft Teams Free (no phone carrier)
Solavei	December 4, 2015	Shut down after T-Mobile ended its wholesale agreement.	No single successor
Spot Mobile	Date not published	Went out of business	Numbers ported out or deactivated
Sprint Postpaid	Brand retired Aug 2020, network off 2022	T-Mobile merger closed April 1, 2020	T-Mobile
Sprint Prepaid	2020	Transferred to DISH Network	Boost Mobile (DISH)
SRT Communications	Date not published	Discontinued its wireless business	Recommends another carrier
STi Mobile	early 2013	Its operator filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and the service was gone by early 2013.	No single successor
The People’s Operator USA	late 2018	This charity-focused MVNO closed its US service in late 2018 and moved its customers to Ting Mobile.	Ting
Total Call Mobile	December 25, 2016	Went out of business	enTouch Wireless
Touch Mobile	Date not published	No longer offering service	Not published
Univision Mobile	July 11, 2017	Out of business	Ultra Mobile
Venn Mobile	June 26, 2020	Venn Mobile was a $30 unlimited plan on Sprint’s network that launched in January 2020. Sprint turned off its lines on June 26, 2020.	No single successor carrier
Virgin Mobile USA	2020	Customers were moved to Boost in 2020.	Boost Mobile
Voce	February 1, 2008	Voce was a luxury concierge cell phone service from Beverly Hills that launched in 2006. It shut down abruptly, without warning, around February 1, 2008.	No single successor carrier
Voyager Mobile	2015	Went out of business	Not published
West Central Wireless	August 31, 2023	Sold its mobile operations to Verizon and shut off cellular service on August 31, 2023.	Verizon Postpaid
WUE	Date not published	Discontinued offering cellular service	Not published
XE Mobile	December 31, 2007	XE Mobile was a prepaid cell service for college students on AT&T’s network. It shut down entirely on December 31, 2007, and all accounts were canceled.	No single successor carrier
Yahoo Mobile	2021	Verizon ran it as a prepaid, app-based service on its own network, and it ended in 2021.	Visible
Zact	August 2014	Zact was a customizable prepaid service on Sprint’s network that launched in 2013. It stopped sign-ups on July 4, 2014 and shut down in August 2014.	Sprint (optional move; no automatic transfer)
ZingPCS	2016	It sold its wireless business in 2016.	No single successor

The Sprint shutdown killed more brands than any acquisition

T-Mobile closed its merger with Sprint on April 1, 2020, retired the Sprint brand in August 2020, and shut the Sprint network down in 2022. Every MVNO that depended on Sprint towers lost its network in one step. That is not a list of unrelated failures. It is one event with many names attached to it.

Carriers often blamed for shutting down that did not: Choice Wireless, Claro, United Wireless and Chit Chat Mobile all lost Sprint roaming or CDMA service, not their own business. FreedomPop ended its free plan in February 2026 but the brand still operates under Red Pocket Mobile. Project Fi was renamed Google Fi in 2018, not discontinued.

You have a number from a dead carrier. Now what?

A dead carrier is the hardest port there is. There is no customer service line to call for an account number, and no transfer PIN to generate. What usually still works: the number stays assigned to the underlying network for a period after the brand closes, and the carrier that absorbed the customer base can often release it.

Your right to take the number with you does not end because the carrier did. Number portability is an FCC rule, explained in Porting: Keeping Your Phone Number When You Change Providers. With carriers that shut down, the number usually sits with the successor or the host network, so start there.

Look up transfer PIN and account number instructions for every US carrier — free, no signup.

How we confirm carriers that shut down

We track US carriers. Every candidate was tested against one question: is the carrier itself the subject of the shutdown, or is the page describing something that happened to a network it used? That single test removed seven brands that are still operating. Three more were dropped because the only available wording was speculative rather than factual.