T-Mobile is looking to expand its lead in the US 5G market, planning to triple its mid-band 5G coverage in 2022.
T-Mobile purchased Sprint largely to get the latter company’s wealth of mid-band spectrum. Considered the ideal compromise between speed and coverage, mid-band is essential to the successful rollout of 5G.
While T-Mobile already covers the majority of the US population, the company wants to expand its physical coverage to include rural areas where the population density is relatively low, according to PCMag.
“We’re going to have materially more macro-cell sites than our competition,” President of Technology Neville Ray said. “This is a macro build, with large volumes of macro sites.”
The expansion will help cover the 40% of the US that includes “small markets and rural areas,” Ray said.
Verizon has traditionally been the carrier that offered the best rural coverage. If T-Mobile’s plans come to fruition, it may give Verizon a run for its money.
