Embarq Wireless was the cell phone service of Embarq, the landline company spun off from Sprint in May 2006. It resold Sprint service as an MVNO. With about 112,000 customers against a 1 million goal, Embarq stopped new sign-ups in early 2008 and ended wireless service in 2009.
Embarq Wireless is gone
Embarq stopped signing up new wireless customers in early 2008. In May 2008 its CFO told investors it would hand wireless customers to another carrier in 2009. A local report says customers got letters and texts that service would end October 1, as Embarq merged into CenturyTel. That merger closed July 1, 2009. Embarq’s landline business continued under CenturyTel.
If you had an Embarq Wireless line
No single successor carrier is named in the sources. In May 2008 Embarq had not chosen a carrier to take its customers, and the 2009 shutdown notice told customers to find a new cell phone carrier. Any number ported out before the shutdown lives with the carrier it moved to.
How Embarq Wireless ended
- May 2006: Embarq is spun off from Sprint as a separate landline company.
- Early 2008: Embarq stops signing up new wireless customers.
- May 14, 2008: Embarq’s CFO says wireless customers will be handed to another carrier in 2009; it has about 112,000.
- July 1, 2009: CenturyTel completes its acquisition of Embarq.
- 2009: Embarq wireless service ends; customers are told to find a new carrier.
Why Embarq Wireless ended
It never reached scale. Embarq aimed for 1 million wireless customers and had about 112,000 in May 2008. It stopped new sign-ups that year and planned to exit. Wireless was a side business for a landline company, and its wireless revenue kept falling into 2009. The shutdown lined up with CenturyTel’s $11.3 billion purchase of Embarq, which closed July 1, 2009.
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 Embarq Wireless
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. Embarq Wireless counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Embarq Wireless
Is Embarq Wireless still available?
No. Embarq stopped new wireless sign-ups in early 2008 and ended the service in 2009. Embarq itself was bought by CenturyTel on July 1, 2009, and no longer exists under that name.
Which network did Embarq Wireless use?
Embarq Wireless ran on Sprint’s network. Embarq’s 2009 quarterly filing describes its wireless customers as acquired under its MVNO arrangement with Sprint Nextel. Wikipedia lists Sprint as the host.
What happened to Embarq Wireless customers?
They had to find a new carrier. Letters and texts told customers that Embarq would no longer provide cell phone service as of October 1. No receiving carrier is named in any source we opened.
Was Embarq part of Sprint?
Yes. Embarq was Sprint’s local landline business until it was spun off as a separate company in May 2006. CenturyTel announced it would buy Embarq on October 27, 2008, and completed the deal July 1, 2009.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- Phone Scoop: Embarq to dump wireless customers: About 112,000 customers vs. 1 million goal, sign-ups stopped early 2008, hand-off planned for 2009 (May 14, 2008)
- The Hook: Call dropped: Embarq loses wireless customers: Customers told service ends October 1, find a new carrier; tied to CenturyTel merger (undated)
- Embarq Form 10-Q for Q1 2009 (SEC): Wireless customers under MVNO arrangement with Sprint Nextel; falling wireless revenue (quarter ended March 31, 2009)
- Wikipedia: Embarq: Spin-off May 2006; CenturyTel deal announced October 27, 2008, completed July 1, 2009
- Wikipedia: List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States: Lists Embarq on Sprint, ended 2009
Best Cellular. “Embarq Wireless: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/embarq-wireless/
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 Embarq Wireless’s customers. These carriers publish their network and run today.