T-Mobile announced In December 2019, it had 5G nationwide service to 200 million people. According to the US Census the population of the USA is 329 million. T-Mobile nationwide coverage only covers approximately 61% of the population. In comparison, their 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) network covers more than 320 million people or 97% of the population.
Nationwide Doesn’t Mean Everybody
T-Mobile can claim “‘nationwide’ coverage even though it’s not because the standards are based on the National Advertising Division or NAD definition. NAD is the ad industry self-regulatory body. The standard was adopted in 2004 whereby a wireless network can claim nationwide coverage, if the provider offers service to at least 200 million people. T-Mobile meets those standards.
How Fast is T-Mobile’s 5G?
T-Mobile is using 600 MHg spectrum, which is not as fast as the “mmWave” 5G used by Verizon and AT&T. However, 600MHg can travel longer distances and isn’t blocked by physical barriers.
According to T-Mobile, in some places, 600MHz 5G will be a lot faster than Long Term Evolution (LTE). However, other places won’t see much difference. Customers with a 600MHz 5G phone on average should see a 20 percent download speed boost on top of what T-Mobile’s LTE network delivers and the speeds would get faster over time. According to T-Mobile, 5G speeds should increase downloads speeds by 20% over 600MHz network’s current speeds. During Open Signal’s latest data collection period, T-Mobile’s average 4G download speeds were 23.6 Mbps. A 20% increase would bring the figure to 28.32 Mbps.
Where is T-Mobile’s 5G?
To see all the places you get T-Mobile’s 5G down to the neighborhood level, check out the map here. You can also check out the more than 5,000 cities and towns here.
Which T-Mobile Phones are 5G Compatible?
Smart devices must be compatible with 5G over 600MHz in order to use the new T-Mobile service.
5 Phones are Currently Offered by T-Mobile with 5G Capability.
- OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren for $899.
- Samsung Galaxy S20 5G for $999.99.
- Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G for $1,199.99
- Galaxy Note 10+ 5G for $1,299.99
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G for $1,399.99
T-Mobile says it will offer more affordable 5G phones in 2020 and said “5G access costs the same as LTE.”
5G Smartphone Forecast
The 5G smartphones are expected to be the fastest-growing part of the global industry in 2020, despite the expected slowdown because of the coronavirus.
Global 5G handset sales will grow +1,000% in 2020, according to a new forecast by Strategy Analytics.
According to Key Hyers, the negative impacts of the coronavirus will be mostly concentrated in the 1st half of 2020. Handset production and sales will bounce back in the second half of 2020, if the coronavirus is under control.
Total smartphone shipments globally in 2020 are estimated at 1.3 billion, with 5G phones at 15% of the total.
Leon Thomas
Resources:
Read this article, what does 5G technology mean.
Do you have a 5G enabled smartphone? Does it meet your expectations?