T-Mobile's 5G Network Goes Live Ahead of Scheduleoriginal launch date was scheduled for December 6th.
This story originally appeared onEngadget
Last month, T-Mobilepromisedits 5G network would go live in 5,000 cities and towns on December 6th -- if itsmerger with Sprintwent through. That deal is not yet final, but today, a few days ahead of schedule, T-Mobile says it's launching its nationwide 5G network. The catch is that, for now, T-Mobile is offering 600 MHz "low-band" 5G.
Related:5 Lessons to Learn from T-Mobile CEO John Legere
The network covers more than one million square miles, including many rural areas, and 200 million people. The "low-band" 5G won't be as fast as the 5G we've seen from carriers likeSprintandVerizon, but it will have better range, so it shouldn'trun into problemslike not being able to travelthrough walls．这将是accessible to a lot more people, and T-Mobile says it willcost the sameas its 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 ... and today is just the start of that journey," said T-Mobile CEO John Legere.
If the T-Mobile and Sprint merger closes, T-Mobile will add Sprint's 5G spectrum (2.5 GHz). In that case, customers could see faster speeds, as well as improved range. "If the merger with Sprint closes, the New T-Mobile will be able to build on this foundation to deliver transformational broad and deep 5G for All," Sprint said in a press release.
Of course, you'll need a 5G-enabled phone to take advantage of the network. TheOnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLarenand theSamsung Galaxy Note10+ 5Gare available for pre-order through T-Mobile today, and they'll be available in T-Mobile stores on December 6th. The company plans to launch 15 more 5G phones in 2020.
