T-Mobile is suing Broadcom in New York, seeking a court declaration that the chipmaker must continue supporting its perpetual VMware licenses. The mobile giant operates tens of thousands of virtual machines on VMware software, spanning approximately 303,140 CPU cores. This legal action stems from Broadcom's acquisition of VMware and subsequent shift from perpetual licenses to subscriptions.

Following Broadcom's acquisition, the company ceased sales of perpetual VMware licenses. T-Mobile, having purchased perpetual licenses with an option for a third year of support, found its renewal request denied. Broadcom's email response indicated the end of perpetual product availability, including support renewals. This move impacts T-Mobile's ongoing migration of over 1,000 applications.

A judge previously granted T-Mobile an injunction allowing it to receive support services through August 3, 2026, for a substantial fee. Now, T-Mobile wants a definitive ruling that it was contractually entitled to renew its support. The carrier is actively migrating its infrastructure off VMware due to these unresolved licensing and support disputes.