T-Mobile CEO John Legere has declared that his company will leapfrog what he calls its “Dumb and Dumber” rivals to become the first to deploy a true nationwide 5G network across the United States.
T-Mobile, the nation’s third-largest wireless carrier with more than 70 million subscribers, used the nickname “Dumb and Dumber” to refer to AT&T and Verizon — a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 1991 cult comedy.
In a post on the T-Mobile blog outlining his predictions for the U.S. telecommunications industry in 2018, Legere criticized AT&T and Verizon for focusing initially on fixed 5G wireless services rather than fully mobile deployments. He argued that T-Mobile’s low-band spectrum holdings position the carrier to roll out broad 5G coverage nationwide.
“While Dumb and Dumber focus on 5G hotspots that won’t work when you leave your home, we will be the only ones on the fast-track toward a real, mobile nationwide 5G network in 2020 — and have already started deploying 5G-ready equipment,” Legere wrote. “This is such a BFD — we’re leapfrogging the Duopoly like they’re standing still.”
Legere also reviewed how his 2017 predictions fared:
Verizon and Comcast would get so desperate they’d consider merging. Nailed it!
My Slow Cooker Sunday would attract 1 million viewers—more than many cable channels. Crushed this one: it now has over 2 million viewers.
We’d reach gigabit LTE speeds on our network while competitors promoted what I called “#Fake5G” for fixed home internet—Done, thanks to Neville and the team!
The majority of TV viewing would migrate to mobile devices—this is happening, with millennials leading the trend and increasingly watching TV and other media on their phones.
I predicted leadership shake-ups among wireless CEOs. That came true as well, including the departure of a former AT&T Mobility president and CEO as part of a significant executive restructuring at the company.
T-Mobile has also announced a partnership with Ericsson to support its 5G deployments, indicating vendor collaboration as the carrier readies its network for the next generation of wireless service.
What do you think of Legere’s claims about T-Mobile’s 5G plans? Share your thoughts in the comments below.