Zact was a mobile virtual network operator on Sprint’s network, launched in 2013 on ItsOn software. Customers could change minutes, texts and data on the fly. Zact stopped taking new customers on July 4, 2014 and shut down in August 2014. Customers could keep their phones and move to Sprint.
Zact is gone
Zact shut down in August 2014. It stopped accepting new customers on July 4, 2014, and Phone Scoop reported on July 8 that service would end at the end of August. Wikipedia’s carrier list gives August 3, 2014. Zact did not reimburse customers for their phones. Sprint had adopted the same ItsOn platform and planned its own flexible prepaid service.
If you had a Zact line
Zact customers could keep their phone and move to Sprint, or walk away with no further obligation. Customers who did neither lost service when Zact shut down. A number left on Zact past August 2014 is almost certainly gone. Any active carrier will work today.
How Zact ended
- May 13, 2013: Zact opens preorders for its customizable plans on Sprint’s 4G network, with two LG Android phones.
- July 4, 2014: Zact stops taking new customers.
- July 8, 2014: Phone Scoop reports the shutdown; customers can move to Sprint or leave free and clear.
- August 2014: Zact service ends (end of August per Phone Scoop; August 3 per Wikipedia’s carrier list).
Why Zact ended
The sources do not give an official reason. They do show why Zact’s edge disappeared. Its selling point was the ItsOn platform, which let customers change voice, text and data allotments on the fly and buy data by app. Sprint adopted ItsOn itself and announced plans for its own flexible prepaid service. Zact was also limited to a short list of Android phones.
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 Zact
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. Zact counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Zact
Is Zact still available?
No. Zact stopped sign-ups on July 4, 2014 and shut down in August 2014. There is no Zact service to buy or reactivate. Its customizable-plan idea lived on at Sprint, which adopted the same ItsOn software.
Which network did Zact use?
Zact ran on Sprint’s network, initially its 4G network only. It was a mobile virtual network operator built on ItsOn software. Sprint has since merged into T-Mobile, but Zact itself ended in 2014.
What happened to Zact customers?
They could keep their phone and move to Sprint, or leave with no further obligation. Zact did not reimburse customers for the phones they had bought. Service ended in August 2014.
Why was Zact different from other prepaid carriers?
Zact let customers adjust voice minutes, texts and data on the fly, pay only for what they used, buy data for specific apps, and get credit for unused plan money. It also offered parental controls such as curfews and app lockouts.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- Phone Scoop: Zact shutting down: Stopped sign-ups July 4; service ends end of August; customers can move to Sprint; no device reimbursement; Sprint adopted ItsOn (July 8, 2014).
- Engadget: Zact rolls out no-contract data plans on Sprint: Launch on Sprint’s 4G network, customizable plans, LG phones (May 13, 2013).
- Wikipedia: List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States: Lists ZACT as defunct, Sprint host network, end date August 3, 2014.
Best Cellular. “Zact: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/zact/
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 Zact’s customers. These carriers publish their network and run today.