Pure Mobile was a US phone brand for personal use. Wikipedia lists Verizon as its host network and gives its end date as 2012. The same row lists GSM and UMTS technology, which does not match Verizon’s network at the time. BestCellular.com found no other public record of the brand.
Pure Mobile is gone
Pure Mobile no longer offers phone service. Wikipedia lists it among defunct US operators with an end date of 2012 and Verizon as its host. The row lists GSM and UMTS, while Verizon ran CDMA, so the record is internally inconsistent. It cites no source. BestCellular.com found no shutdown notice or news story. The exact end date is not stated.
If you had a Pure Mobile line
No source names a carrier that took over Pure Mobile customers. A number unused since 2012 is almost certainly closed and may have been reassigned. If you need service today, choose a current carrier and ask for a new number. Pure Mobile is not the same as Pure TalkUSA, an AT&T brand, as far as any source shows.
Every fact on this page comes from one uncited Wikipedia row, and that row pairs Verizon with GSM technology, so treat the network as unconfirmed.
How Pure Mobile ended
- 2012: Wikipedia lists Pure Mobile as ended.
Why Pure Mobile ended
No source explains why Pure Mobile ended. Wikipedia records the brand, a personal market, Verizon as host and an end year of 2012, with no reference. BestCellular.com searched news coverage and found no story about it. The mismatch between the listed network and technology suggests the record may be incomplete. If an official source turns up, this page will be updated.
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 Pure 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. Pure Mobile counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Pure Mobile
Is Pure Mobile still available?
No. Wikipedia lists Pure Mobile as a defunct US operator with an end date of 2012. BestCellular.com found no sign that the brand sells or supports phone service today.
Which network did Pure Mobile use?
Wikipedia lists Verizon as Pure Mobile’s host network. The same row lists GSM and UMTS technology, but Verizon ran a CDMA network. The sources conflict, so the network is not confirmed.
What happened to Pure Mobile customers?
No source says. BestCellular.com found no transfer notice and no named successor carrier. Lines left unused since 2012 are almost certainly closed, and the numbers may now belong to someone else.
Is Pure Mobile the same as Pure TalkUSA?
No source links them. Pure TalkUSA is a separate low-cost brand on AT&T’s network, per Phone Scoop in August 2015. Wikipedia lists Pure Mobile on Verizon. BestCellular.com found no record that they shared an owner.
Sources
Checked October 14, 2026.
- Wikipedia: List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States: Defunct table row: Pure Mobile, Personal, host Verizon, GSM & UMTS, end date 2012. No references cited. Checked 2026-10-14.
- Phone Scoop: Pure TalkUSA Expands Retail Footprint to Sears and Kmart: August 11, 2015. Pure TalkUSA is a low-cost MVNO on AT&T’s network. Supports only the FAQ on the separate Pure TalkUSA brand; does not mention Pure Mobile.
Best Cellular. “Pure Mobile: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/pure-mobile/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.