We’ve got some good news for the T-Mobile users.
T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless have been fierce competitors in the realm of wireless network operations in the US since the two companies were founded less than a year apart. This April, T-Mobile took that giant leap ahead that might actually help it outdo Verizon, once and for all. The company is known to have spent $8 billion on procuring a new low-band spectrum for improving the performance of its wireless network.
T-Mobile’s Chief Technology Officer, Neville Ray, described the move as a “massive milestone” that could “materially close” the company’s coverage gap vis-à-vis Verizon “by the end of the year.”
Calling this move a ‘massive milestone’ would be an understatement, given that the company has already introduced its new 600MHz LTE network at a cluster site in Cheyenne, Wyoming. This is quite impressive considering that rolling out new spectrums can take up to years. In contrast, Verizon took nearly two years to turn on a 700MHz spectrum which was bought from FCC in a similar auction back in 2008.
The newly acquired 600MHz spectrum could be a game-changer for T-Mobile, as it can help fix its coverage problems to a large extent. These networks transmit signals across a combination of ‘bands’, where in lower frequency translates to better coverage because lower-frequency radio waves are better equipped to penetrate objects and travel greater distances. In terms of T-Mobile and Verizon’s battle of turf, it means T-Mobile will now be equipped to extend its coverage inside buildings as well as in rural areas, which have been a Verizon stronghold, thanks to its network of low-band spectrum.
How a single low-spectrum acquisition would help T-Mobile beat Verizon, one might wonder. The success of any such network provider rides on two key factors – download speed and coverage. As of now, T-Mobile already offers better download speed than Verizon – on par as that of market leader AT&T – but lacks behind in terms of coverage. The 600 Mhz spectrum will first help the company close in on the gap and then go beyond. T-Mobile is simultaneously working to develop an infrastructure capable of powering 5G in the future. This combined with an LTE tech, which can offer gigabit speeds even today, only means T-Mobile may be on its way to leaving Verizon way behind, and AT&T could well be next in line.
Source: TheVerge
1 Comment
Switching to T-Mobile from Verizon was the worse mistake I made, considering it took two and half years for T-Mobile to implement LTE in my city I wouldn’t hold your breath over them getting this country wide anytime soon. T-Mobile LTE still didn’t reach my house as the nearest tower was 3.5 miles away while Verizon is only 1.5 Miles away and I can talk and surf the web even during a power outage unlike with T-Mobile. So switching to Verizon for our family this April was the best move especially since I was paying the same amount of money for T-Mobile’s unlimited family plan having to stay connected to WiFi all the time at home, now I can go almost any place I was before with T-Mobile that had no service getting LTE coverage without WiFi turned on.
Lastly Verizon is also working on 5G LTE also and will most likely just attach it to all their existing towers as well still keeping them ahead of everyone and even if T-Mobile manages to pull ahead of Verizon I will remain Verizon especially since my family is happy with it now including my uncle in law who’s a trucker and was constantly pissed that he was getting no service out on the road except when he would connect to truck stop WiFi all the time.
Now I feel like I’m getting what I pay for and not having to listen to the same excuses every time along with the same constant hope for the best BS I get all the time from their CSR’s, especially since I have not had to call Verizon once about service issues.