T-Mobile was previously blocked from using the wireless spectrum it bought.
Back in 2022, T-Mobile was awarded spectrum during the FCC’s Auction 108 that could be used to boost the company’s 5G infrastructure across the country. However, T-Mobile couldn’t actually use it because of a legal technicality—Congress let the FCC’s authority to auction spectrum lapse before the FCC could even give T-Mobile a license to use the spectrum it owned. That was solved some time ago, and now, T-Mobile has actually deployed the spectrum it has sought to deploy for almost two years now.
T-Mobile has just announced that, right as the company gained the licenses it has sought to obtain for a long time, it is finally deploying the new spectrum that comes as part of it. The spectrum itself is 2.5 GHz spectrum that will help T-Mobile expand its 5G reach and performance, particularly in rural areas that are currently underserved. This benefits millions of customers nationwide. The new spectrum covers nearly 60 million customers and spans 300,000 square miles. Activation for most of the spectrum is expected within days, with the remaining areas covered as new towers are built.
T-Mobile emphasizes that customers almost every US customer will see performance improvements, either at home or through better coverage in places they visit. The company is citing Louisiana and Pennsylvania as specific examples, highlighting gains for over 1.7 million and 2.2 million people, respectively. According to T-Mobile, around 80 million people live in areas where this new spectrum is being lit up, so this should actually result in massive improvements and gains for a big chunk of the country. Most of the new spectrum seems to be deployed in the east part of the country, but this is by all means and purposes a nationwide rollout, so you might see better 5G signal and speeds nonetheless, either on your phone or your 5G Home Internet router.
If you want to check out the new spectrum, you’ll have to wait until T-Mobile finishes lighting it up. Some of it is already live as we write this, but T-Mobile will take a few days to roll it out to everyone.
Source: T-Mobile
