NetZero Mobile Broadband was a data-only hotspot service for laptops and tablets. It launched in 2012 on Clearwire and moved to Sprint’s 3G network by January 2014. It was never a phone plan. NetZero still sells internet access, but its site no longer lists mobile broadband, and no official end date was found.
NetZero Mobile Broadband appears to be shut down
NetZero, the internet provider, is still in business. Its mobile broadband product is not. On October 14, 2026, netzero.net/wireless listed only Internet Access, Email, Norton 360 and Games & Tools. The last dated report BestCellular.com found is from January 15, 2014. No official end date was found.
If you had a NetZero Mobile Broadband line
NetZero Mobile Broadband was a data-only service for hotspots and USB modems, so there is likely no phone number to move. No successor service is named. For questions about an old NetZero account, use the support contact shown on netzero.net. If you need mobile data now, compare current carriers.
BestCellular.com could not find an official shutdown notice and will update this page if one is published. NetZero itself still operates; only its mobile broadband service appears to have ended.
How NetZero Mobile Broadband ended
- November 2, 2011: TechCrunch reports that NetZero struck a deal with Clearwire to sell mobile broadband under the NetZero name.
- March 2012: NetZero launches mobile broadband on the Clearwire network, per Wikipedia.
- January 15, 2014: NetZero Wireless says its service now runs on Sprint’s nationwide 3G network, with Sprint 4G LTE planned for later in 2014.
Why NetZero Mobile Broadband appears to have ended
The sources do not say. The service depended on other companies’ networks: first Clearwire, then Sprint under a five-year deal signed in July 2013. Both of those networks have since been retired or absorbed. NetZero’s parent, United Online, was bought by B. Riley Financial in 2016. No source ties the end of mobile broadband to either change.
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 NetZero Mobile Broadband
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. NetZero Mobile Broadband counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about NetZero Mobile Broadband
Is NetZero Mobile Broadband still in business?
It does not appear to be. NetZero still sells internet access, but its wireless page no longer lists any mobile plan. BestCellular.com found no official shutdown notice or end date for the mobile broadband service.
Which network did NetZero Mobile Broadband use?
Clearwire at launch in 2012, then Sprint’s nationwide 3G network by January 2014. Sprint 4G LTE was planned for later in 2014. No source says the service moved to T-Mobile.
What happened to NetZero Mobile Broadband customers?
The sources do not say. No successor service is named. Because the service was data-only, customers had a hotspot account, not a phone number to move to a new carrier.
Did NetZero ever sell cell phone service?
Not in any source BestCellular.com read. NetZero’s wireless product was mobile internet for laptops, tablets and netbooks through a hotspot or USB modem. It did not include voice calling or a phone number.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- Wikipedia: NetZero: Mobile broadband launched March 2012 on Clearwire, later expanded to Sprint 3G; B. Riley acquisition in 2016.
- Telecompetitor: NetZero Mobile Broadband expands coverage across Sprint’s nationwide 3G network: January 15, 2014. Sprint 3G coverage, five-year Sprint deal from July 2013, LTE planned for Q3 2014, data-only hotspot plans.
- TechCrunch: Remember NetZero? Now They Want To Sell You Mobile Broadband: November 2, 2011. NetZero deal with Clearwire.
- NetZero: Wireless shop page: Lists Internet Access, Email, Norton 360 and Games & Tools only; no mobile plan. Checked October 14, 2026.
Best Cellular. “NetZero Mobile Broadband: Appears to Be Shut Down,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/netzero/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.