5G is the buzziest of buzzwords in wireless right now. And, that’s a problem. The Carriers are fueling the hype to create tons of confusion about 5G.
Case in point, last week, AT&T introduced #Fake5G – based on technologies we launched in 2016 – and tried to confuse consumers and distract from the fact that their network is losing to T-Mobile.
Verizon is getting their ass kicked so bad in wireless they’re banking on “Fixed 5G” – wired broadband replacement one home at a time -- to help them compete with the ONLY companies people hate more than Verizon – Big Cable!
Listen, 5G is going to be AMAZING – maybe the most transformative technology of our lifetime. It’s a LOT more than #Fake5G and Fixed 5G.
So, I can’t let all this stand! Time to bust some 5G myths!
MYTH: There is “5G Spectrum” and “NOT 5G Spectrum”
FACT: You can deploy 5G on ANY frequency, and in the future, all spectrum will be 5G spectrum. 2G, 3G and 4G are available across low, mid and high-band. Why would 5G be any different? It won’t.
The Duopoly’s approach – focused on high-band “5G spectrum” – means they’ll build a scattershot 5G network like a series of hotspots in select cities, and your 5G phone will lose 5G as soon as you leave that limited area.
MYTH: 5G is just about really fast speeds.
FACT: 5G means amazingly fast speeds, sure, but 5G is a whole lot more!
5G will mean lower-latency (that means faster response-times for your applications), massively increased battery life and an exponential leap in the number of connections we can handle simultaneously – and that unlocks all kinds of amazing new applications. It’s about more than just speed.
MYTH: 5G is just another way to get home Internet.
FACT: The carriers are focused on Fixed 5G – basically replacing your wired home Internet. And that’s just fine if you’re not focused on today’s mobile customer or 5G applications that require broad coverage, but are instead intent on developing a wireless solution to compete with big Cable in the home broadband market. This approach makes total sense if you are Verizon trying to ignore your troubles in wireless. But, it breaks down the second you want to leave your home.
Mobile 5G will cover you wherever you go. It’ll unleash all those incredible use cases across the country.
That’s why I’m so excited to announce plans for a REAL, NATIONWIDE, MOBILE 5G network from T-Mobile.
You heard that right. First, we are going to dedicate part of the new 600 MHz spectrum we just won to LTE and then part to 5G nationwide. This means T-Mobile is the first company to commit to building a nationwide 5G network. And yes that’s real 5G, not fake 5G! And that’s nationwide Mobile 5G, not Fixed 5G!
In addition to the 600 MHz band, we have 200 MHz of spectrum in the 28/39 GHz bands covering nearly 100 million people in major metropolitan areas and an impressive volume of mid-band spectrum to deploy 5G in as well. This positions T-Mobile to deliver a 5G network that offers BOTH breadth and depth nationwide.
We expect to see a whole class of new applications and solutions that will be built for nationwide 5G, and today’s applications will just work better and faster. As with prior network innovations, we can’t fully imagine all of the new applications that will emerge to take advantage of low-cost, continually-connected, long-battery-life embedded sensors, for example. Think smart phones that are way smarter and faster. But more importantly, think beyond smart phones to new types of connected devices of all kinds across all geographies.
Imagine augmented reality heads-up displays that see everything you do, and provide you with real-time cloud-driven information about the people and objects around you.
Imagine an earpiece that provides natural language translation in real-time as a friend speaks to you at full-speed in any language.
Imagine never losing anything ever again because you can embed low-cost sensors with decade long battery life – and imagine what that does to theft when everything is trackable!
Imagine environmental sensors embedded in the infrastructure – thousands mixed in the asphalt on new smart highways that intelligently route traffic and update road signs, notify road crews when repairs are required and emergency services when accidents occur!
Nationwide 5G coverage will drive endless possibilities, and yes, the future is kick-ass!
With 5G on 600 MHz, timelines coalesce and trends converge – it’s almost like we planned it ??. As 5G standards are defined, chipsets are delivered, and equipment comes to market, we expect to be 3GPP certified and be able deploy 5G on clean spectrum – without any refarming dependency – which means we can light it up and roll it out quickly. We’ll expect all this to begin in 2019 and target 2020 for a full nationwide rollout.
We’ve built our network – and our entire network team – to advance faster than the carriers. T-Mobile is a mobile internet company, and our network advances at internet speed. Now, we’re making plans to take the country’s fastest, most advanced LTE network to a whole new level … and to introduce the country’s first real, nationwide 5G network, leapfrogging the competition yet again.
Now that’s a real #micdrop.
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