T-Mobile greatly expands LTE coverage

After champing at the bit for months, T-Mobile has finally closed its deal to buy $2.4 billion in wireless spectrum from Verizon. The UnCarrier now has the all-clear to roll out LTE data on the 700MHz band, which will help it upgrade its 2G-only areas to 4G speeds; you won’t have to settle for pokey mobile internet access just because you’re visiting friends in the countryside. The expanded wireless support is also coming to big urban centers like New York and Los Angeles, so existing LTE users should see more consistent coverage.

T-Mobile has finally closed a deal to acquire highly-valuable 700MHz spectrum from Verizon, enabling the next wave of network upgrades for the carrier. In the wireless world not all spectrum is created equal, with lower frequencies being more desirable because they travel further distances and better penetrate buildings. Both of these attributes are badly needed on T-Mobile’s network as it traditionally operates on much higher frequencies between 1700 and 2100MHz, and T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray has a good idea of what they will do with it. Thew newly-acquired spectrum holdings will improve T-Mobile’s LTE coverage in nine of the top 10 and 21 of the top 30 metro areas in the country, simply building on what’s already available. These markets include notable cities like New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Washington D.C. and Detroit. It will also help T-Mobile expand the 10+10MHz networks it currently deploys in many markets to higher 15+15 or even 20+20MHz for even faster LTE speeds.