Zapp was a phone service for personal use that resold Sprint’s CDMA network. The Wikipedia list of US virtual carriers shows it as defunct, with service ending in 2012. BestCellular.com found no other dated source about the brand. Sprint itself has since merged into T-Mobile and shut its old network down.
Zapp is gone
The Wikipedia list of US virtual carriers places Zapp in its table of defunct, merged and acquired operators. The row names Sprint as the host network, CDMA as the technology and 2012 as the end date. The row cites no reference and has no notes. BestCellular.com found no press release, news report or carrier notice about the brand.
If you had a Zapp line
No source names a carrier that took Zapp customers. Its phones were built for Sprint’s network, which no longer runs. If your number still works, it now sits with the carrier you moved it to. Ask that carrier for your account number and port-out PIN before you switch again.
The 2012 end date comes from one source, the Wikipedia MVNO list, which cites no reference for it.
How Zapp ended
- 2012: End date given for Zapp in the Wikipedia MVNO list.
Why Zapp ended
The sources do not say. The only record BestCellular.com could find is the Wikipedia row, which lists Zapp as a Sprint reseller that ended in 2012. It gives no cause and no successor. Until a dated source turns up, the reason stays open. BestCellular.com will update this page if one is found.
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 Zapp
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. Zapp counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Zapp
Is Zapp still available?
No. The Wikipedia list of US virtual carriers shows Zapp as defunct, with an end date of 2012. BestCellular.com found no sign that the brand sells phone service today.
Which network did Zapp use?
Sprint, according to the Wikipedia MVNO list, using CDMA technology. Sprint merged into T-Mobile, and its old network has been shut down, so old Zapp phones are unlikely to work.
What happened to Zapp customers?
The sources do not say. No successor carrier is named. Customers would have moved their numbers to a carrier of their choice before the service ended.
When did Zapp launch?
The sources do not say. The Wikipedia MVNO list gives only an end year of 2012. BestCellular.com searched for a launch date, operator name or plan details and found none.
Sources
Checked October 14, 2026.
- Wikipedia: List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States: Lists Zapp as defunct: Personal market, Sprint host, CDMA, end date 2012. No citation or notes on the row. Checked October 14, 2026.
Best Cellular. “Zapp: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/zapp/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.