T-Mobile has announced that its deployment of 600 MHz low-band spectrum has expanded to cover more than 900 cities and towns across the United States.
The latest update adds roughly 120 communities, including locations in New Mexico, Omaha, Nebraska, Maine, Augusta, and Los Alamos. This expansion is part of the carrier’s broader effort to strengthen nationwide coverage using low-band frequencies.
The company markets the service as “Extended Range LTE,” highlighting the 600 MHz band’s advantage in reaching farther from cell towers and penetrating buildings more effectively. According to T-Mobile, this spectrum can extend signal reach approximately twice as far as higher-frequency bands and delivers significantly better in-building performance than mid-band LTE.
In the April 2017 FCC auction, T-Mobile acquired about 45 percent of the available 600 MHz spectrum, positioning itself to accelerate nationwide coverage with these lower-frequency channels.
Previously, T-Mobile reported that roughly 80 percent of Americans can access extended-range coverage through its 700 MHz deployments. The rollout of 600 MHz aims to broaden that footprint, bringing improved rural reach and indoor performance to additional communities.
Following the destructive hurricanes in Puerto Rico, T-Mobile used the rebuilding phase to modernize the territory’s infrastructure with 5G-ready equipment and support for 600 MHz LTE, describing the effort as an opportunity to rebuild “better than new.”
Neville Ray, Chief Technology Officer at T-Mobile, commented on the strategy and pace of deployment:
“We’re laying the foundation for the island to become a technology and innovation hub in the future while adding coverage and capacity with 600 MHz LTE this year.
The team is working at record pace to deploy 600 MHz LTE throughout the country, and we’re already expanding the network and challenging the Duopoly in places they’ve never had to compete before.”
To take advantage of 600 MHz Extended Range LTE, customers need a compatible device from manufacturers such as LG or Samsung. Supported models listed by the carrier include the LG G7 ThinQ, K30, V30, and V30+, and Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+, and S8 Active. A broader set of devices support Extended Range LTE on the 700 MHz band, including many Apple iPhone models.
The carrier maintains an updated list of compatible devices on its device compatibility pages.
What are your thoughts on T-Mobile’s Extended Range LTE rollout? Let us know in the comments.
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