T-Mobile said it will bring 600 MHz extended range LTE to Puerto Rico this fall, providing more LTE coverage and capacity than ever before and laying the foundation for 5G with 5G-ready equipment. The carrier unveiled that it has now lit up 600 MHz extended range LTE in more than 900 cities and towns across 32 states, bringing T-Mobile LTE coverage into 120 places for the very first time.
T-Mobile’s extended range LTE signals travel twice as far from the tower and are four times better in buildings than mid-band LTE, providing increased coverage and capacity. The carrier already deployed extended range LTE to more than 80 percent of Americans with 700 MHz (Band 12), and rapidly began deploying it with 600 MHz (Band 71) in 2017 to expand coverage and capacity even further.
In April 2017, T-Mobile made its largest network investment ever, tripling its low-band spectrum holdings by purchasing 45 percent of the spectrum sold in the US government’s 600 MHz auction, 31 MHz nationwide on average and 50 MHz in Puerto Rico. These holdings cover 100 percent of the US, including Puerto Rico. Immediately after receiving the
T-Mobile offers six 600 MHz-capable smartphones, with still over a dozen more across all price points expected to launch in 2018. Starting from June, the carrier will also begin enabling carrier aggregation for 600 MHz extended range LTE and mid-band LTE, so customers with capable devices can access the capacity of both at the same time, increasing download speeds.
