T-Mobile yesterday announced plans to deploy 5G beginning in 2019 with a target of 2020 for full nationwide coverage. The emphasis is on using 600-MHz spectrum to deliver mobile 5G service from coast to coast.
John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile, contrasted his company’s approach with others’ efforts to employ “fixed 5G” to offer home Internet and compete with “big cable.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘5G spectrum,’ and in the next decade we’ll see everything moving to 5G,” said Neville Ray, T-Mobile CTO. “Nationwide Mobile 5G will require both high-band AND broad low-band coverage, and having unused nationwide 600-MHz spectrum means T-Mobile is in an ideal position to deliver.”
In a blog post, Ray writes, “First, we are going to dedicate part of the new 600-MHz spectrum we just won to LTE and then part to 5G nationwide. This means T-Mobile is the first company to commit to building a nationwide 5G network. And yes that’s real 5G, not fake 5G! And that’s nationwide Mobile 5G, not Fixed 5G!”
The company is not ignoring mmWave spectrum. Ray continues, “In addition to the 600-MHz band, we have 200 MHz of spectrum in the 28/39-GHz bands covering nearly 100 million people in major metropolitan areas and an impressive volume of mid-band spectrum to deploy 5G in as well. This positions T-Mobile to deliver a 5G network that offers BOTH breadth and depth nationwide.”
Drew FitzGerald in The Wall Street Journal writes, “Both Verizon and AT&T say they have a jump on T-Mobile and expect to offer 5G in some U.S. markets by 2018, though cellphones capable of using it could take longer to develop.”
