T-Mobile Asks New York Court To Force Broadcom To Support VMware Perpetual Licenses

T-Mobile US has asked a New York court to rule that Broadcom was contractually obligated to continue supporting VMware perpetual licenses after Broadcom stopped sales of perpetual products in favor of subscriptions.

“T-Mobile is asking a New York court to rule that Broadcom was contractually obligated to continue supporting its VMware perpetual licenses”

Ars Technica

In its August 2025 filing in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, T-Mobile said it has tens of thousands of virtual machines using VMware software across approximately 303,140 CPU cores.

Ars Technica

T-Mobile also said it was migrating off VMware while noting the time-consuming and technical challenges involved in migrating over 1,000 applications.

The dispute traces to a deal T-Mobile bought in 2023 for perpetual licenses plus two years of support with an option to buy a third year, and it escalated after Broadcom refused to allow an extension for $5,288,398.45.

A judge granted an injunction allowing T-Mobile to receive support services from October 2025 through August 3, 2026, for $5.28 million plus a $500,000 undertaking.

T-Mobile’s counsel described the VMware deployment as “the foundation of the entire internal network,” and court documents cited by The Register say the carrier runs VMware across more than 303,000 CPU cores.

T-Mobile argued that Broadcom’s refusal would cause “irreparable harm" to its network and customer data, while jeopardizing emergency responder voicemails.

SDxCentral

Broadcom opposed the request, arguing T-Mobile had waited too long to claim its injunction, which expires on August 3.

The court ultimately granted the injunction requiring Broadcom to continue providing support beyond August 2025, and the order required T-Mobile US to pay $5.28 million and post a $500,000 undertaking.

T-Mobile also proposed paying $20 million for an additional two years of support, with VP of Technology Kevin Luu saying it would help “complete T-Mobile’s transition away from VMware at a more deliberate pace,” according to a filed affirmation.

After the injunction, Broadcom complied but also sought damages, arguing that the court order prevented it from securing a new commercial agreement with T-Mobile US.

“T-Mobile USA has been trying to migrate away from VMware for some time”

Techzine Global

T-Mobile rejected that damages claim, noting the two companies continued negotiating a potential new deal throughout the period.

Broadcom later proposed charging $24 million for extended support covering six products, saying the price reflected the cost of maintaining a team of more than 20 staff to support T-Mobile US' environment.

T-Mobile disputed that proposal by claiming it has made only two support requests so far in 2026.

As T-Mobile continues migrating away from VMware, Ars Technica reports it is seeking a declaration that it was entitled to renew support services and further relief as the court deems necessary.