T-Mobile Launches Its 5G Network

T-Mobile is launching its 5G network in the United States this week. The company’s new “nationwide” 5G network is going live today, with T-Mobile’s exclusive 5G devices launching this Friday.

T-Mobile says the company’s new 5G network covers 5,000 cities and 200 million people across one million square miles. The company’s main differentiator here seems to be its network coverage, offering wide coverage throughout the country.

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There’s a catch, though. T-Mobile’s 5G network only offers 600 MHz low-band 5G, which isn’t as fast as mmWave 5G. That means T-Mobile’s low-band 5G network will offer slower speeds than that of Sprint and Verizon, though T-Mobile’s network will offer better coverage and range for users.

T-Mobile also plans to add Sprint’s 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum once its merger with Sprint closes, so that should offer improved speeds in the future. For now, though, T-Mobile is betting on its nationwide coverage and offering prices similar to its existing LTE plans. “While Dumb and Dumber focus on 5G for the (wealthy) Few, launching in just a handful of cities — and forcing customers into their most expensive plans to get 5G — we’re committed to building broad, deep nationwide 5G that people and businesses can access at no extra cost with the New T-Mobile” said T-Mobile CEO John Legere.

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Conversation 8 comments

  • simonmartindye

    02 December, 2019 - 5:37 pm

    <p>Considering Verizons signal doesn’t go through walls and their maps show very limited range in the streets only, wouldn’t the T-Mobile solution be the best compromise?</p>

    • evox81

      Premium Member
      02 December, 2019 - 10:06 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#494028">In reply to simonmartindye:</a></em></blockquote><p>I'd say a combination is going to be the best compromise. 600Mhz for the cornfields, 2+Ghz for the "everyday" and mmWave for the speed (where feasible).</p>

      • MikeGalos

        03 December, 2019 - 10:04 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#494077">In reply to evox81:</a></em></blockquote><p>Exactly. That's why 5G really is multi-band and why calling any devices without full multi-band support shouldn't be allowed to be called 5G and why service maps should show the various service types available in a given area,</p>

  • red.radar

    Premium Member
    02 December, 2019 - 6:37 pm

    <p>As an end user…. what does 5g bring to the table that makes me want to care ? When I am out and about 4g LTE is fast enough to cover my connectivity needs. And I have broadband at the house that gives me faster service for vpn / streaming / cloud connectivity. </p><p><br></p><p>my point is that 5G isn’t important but I am not going to rush out and upgrade or even be willing to pay for it if the only benefit is for celco infrastructure burdens. I can’t think of a use case that isn’t served by what we have today. What new hot advancement is waiting for the release of this tech ?</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

    • will

      Premium Member
      02 December, 2019 - 7:01 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#494032">In reply to red.radar:</a></em></blockquote><p>The biggest change 5G will bring, outside of improved speeds, is reduced latency. Once all the networks are full deployed over the next year or so you could just have a 5G modem for your home and it could work for multiple devices as well as gaming systems.</p><p><br></p><p>Competition for areas that currently only have cable or telco offerings.</p>

      • red.radar

        Premium Member
        02 December, 2019 - 8:20 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#494050">In reply to will:</a></em></blockquote><p>If that is the only reason I think adoption will be slow. I would be shocked to see the Cel-co(s) willing to give away the benefits of 5G as a value play. IE cut the last cord and consolidate all your device internet needs under one bill. </p><p><br></p><p>But …. AT&amp;T has just about walked away from copper infrastructure and Verizon has slowed if not stopped fiber deployment. Perhaps this is the long term plan to compete with cable and its dominance. I know when I had DSL (AT&amp;T) I was too eager to throw money at the cable company when the finally offered service for 100mb in my area. I even trenched the line myself so all they had to do was terminate the coax and hook me up. </p><p><br></p><p>Ok you got me a little excited for big pipe link to the house. However, not certain i care if my smartphone has a 5g link. </p>

      • dashrender

        Premium Member
        03 December, 2019 - 2:33 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#494050">In reply to will:</a></em></blockquote><p>True competition in the home market would be grand!</p><p><br></p><p>I wish the damned municipalities hadn't sold it's citizens out! I really wish the city would own the last mile, then you could get service from anyone, like how Long Distance used to work.</p>

  • Sykeward

    02 December, 2019 - 7:19 pm

    <p>I'm <em>glad </em>that T-Mobile isn't placing all it's eggs in the mmWave basket. Technically, mmWave has the fastest 5G speeds and the greatest capacity and…that's about where the real-world advantages end and the asterisks start. It has a very short transmission distance which can be reduced to zero when it's being blocked by rain, tree foliage, glass windows, your own hand, flocks of bats, and any number of other things. And while it's true that the signals can bounce around to provide better coverage outdoors in the densest urban areas, the MIMO antennas your phone needs to catch those signals take up space that would normally be filled by battery capacity.</p><p><br></p><p>I'm not saying it's all bad, because mmWave will be awesome for difficult situations like sporting events and conferences where a ton of people in a small area are using lots of data. But it's a tool that shines in specific conditions, and "WOAH 5G EVERYWHAR" isn't one of them.</p>

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