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T-Mobile announces nationwide plan for 5G coverage, calls out AT&T and Verizon over misleading claims

T-Mobile’s CEO John Legere has shared the company’s plans for brining true 5G coverage to its customers in a new video. However, before sharing details about T-Mobile’s strategy, Legere takes some time to point out AT&T and Verizon’s recent Q1 results and shares ideas on why he believes their 5G claims are misleading and their plans flawed.

In the first minute of the new video (below), Legere shares that T-Mobile took over 1,000% of the industry growth in Q1. Verizon recently saw a loss of 307,000 subscribers during the first quarter of 2017, while AT&T reported a loss of 191,000. Legere also claims that as AT&T and Verizon have relaunched unlimited plans, their networks have slowed down by 4% and 14%, respectively.

The Un-carrier’s CEO also takes aim at AT&T and Verizon’s recent 5G statements and claims, telling viewers that T-Mobile launched the same 4G LTE technology that AT&T is now calling 5G in 2016 and that Verizon’s plan for ‘Fixed 5G’ to replace broadband internet is foolish.

Here’s how T-Mobile is describing its 5G strategy compared to AT&T and Verizon:

The Un-carrier will leverage multiple spectrum bands to deliver true nationwide Mobile 5G coverage. The Duopoly are approaching 5G much like a series of hotspots in select cities—with 5G coverage that will completely disappear once customers step outside these limited 5G zones, meaning their 5G experiences disappear too.

T-Mobile’s CTO Neville Ray also posted an article today that provides more technical details about the company’s 5G plans and also debunks 5G misunderstandings (and includes some trash talk about the competition).

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.

T-Mobile’s CEO touts immersive augmented reality, language translating earpieces that work in real-time, and a new class of applications that will be enabled by the upcoming 5G network. While Legere doesn’t claim a specific timeframe for when T-Mobile will launch 5G nationwide coverage, he states it should be within 2-3 years and that the Un-carrier will be at the forefront.

In contrast, AT&T’s CTO Andre Fuetsch shared in a blog post a couple of months back that the company expects to launch its 5G mobile services in late 2018. Fuetsch’s article also shares more specifics about AT&T’s 5G approach and mentions the possibility of using both mobile and fixed 5G services.

While the battling of wireless carriers has been escalating steadily this year, it seems the intensity will only build as the four major carriers race for a competitive advantage with 5G service rollouts. The full T-Mobile press release is available here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3JSv644PJk

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Avatar for Michael Potuck Michael Potuck

Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.