Sprint LLC is the legal name for the telecommunications company formerly known as Sprint Corporation, which now operates as a subsidiary of T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS). Prior to its acquisition, Sprint was a major American telecommunications company founded in 1899 with headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. On April 1, 2020, T-Mobile completed its merger with Sprint, and the Sprint brand was officially discontinued on August 2, 2020. Sprint's operations, network, and customers have since been integrated into T-Mobile.
Before the merger, Sprint was the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United States, providing a wide range of wireless and wireline communication services. Its offerings included wireless voice, messaging, and broadband services under various brands such as Sprint, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile. The company also operated a significant wireline IP network and provided long-distance telephony. Following the merger, these services and network assets, including Sprint's valuable mid-band spectrum, are being combined with T-Mobile's network to build out a nationwide 5G service.
Sprint's patent litigation posture, as reflected in the provided data, is that of an operating company defending its business. The company is listed as a defendant in its only tracked case and has no record as a plaintiff, a typical pattern for a major technology operator. The single lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, aligns with the common practice of patent assertion entities filing in plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions.
The notable tracked case, Arlington Technologies, LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al., filed in March 2025, names Sprint LLC as a co-defendant alongside its parent, T-Mobile. The plaintiff, Arlington Technologies LLC, has been identified by industry sources like Unified Patents as a non-practicing entity (NPE). This defensive litigation is consistent with the legal challenges faced by large telecommunications companies from patent assertion entities.