T-Mobile plans to launch 5G later this year, but a senior executive is tempering expectations about initial performance. The carrier is prioritizing broad coverage for its initial rollout by using 600 MHz spectrum. That lower-frequency band travels farther and penetrates buildings better than higher-frequency bands, but it typically delivers slower peak speeds. T-Mobile estimates its first-generation 5G service will be roughly 25–50 percent faster than its current 4G network.
Other major carriers—such as AT&T and Verizon—are focusing more on high-frequency millimeter-wave spectrum. Millimeter-wave deployments can provide very high peak speeds, often in the multi-gigabit range, but they have shorter range and require denser deployment of small cells.
Karri Kuoppamaki, Vice President of Radio Network Technology at T-Mobile, pointed out at the Brooklyn 5G Summit that millimeter-wave cells typically cover relatively small areas. He noted such cells can be only about 900 feet wide and might cover roughly 0.1 square miles each. By contrast, covering the continental United States—more than three million square miles—would require a vastly greater number of those small cells.
That view differs from comments made by Verizon’s Chief Network Officer Nicola Palmer at last year’s Next-Gen Wireless Networks Summit, where she said the company was achieving gigabit-class speeds up to around 2,000 feet from a cell site. The differing perspectives highlight trade-offs carriers face between coverage, capacity, and speed when rolling out 5G.
T-Mobile says its approach will evolve: after the initial nationwide coverage built on 600 MHz, the company plans to add millimeter-wave spectrum in targeted areas to boost speeds and capacity. Kuoppamaki noted that early LTE deployments also did not deliver peak speeds consumers later enjoyed, and he emphasized that day-one 5G speed figures are less important than the network’s ability to improve over time.
Other industry leaders have offered similar cautions. For example, earlier this month at Huawei’s Analyst Summit in Shenzhen, Huawei’s rotating CEO Eric Xu suggested that consumers may not see a dramatic, immediate difference between 4G and early 5G services.
Ultimately, the initial 5G experience will vary by carrier, location, and the spectrum bands used. Low-band 5G will bring wider coverage and incremental speed improvements over 4G, while mid- and high-band deployments can deliver much higher speeds in denser, targeted areas. Consumers should expect that 5G performance will continue to evolve as carriers layer different spectrum bands and expand network infrastructure.
What are your thoughts on T-Mobile’s measured expectations for 5G? Let us know in the comments.
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