Mobile
T-Mobile Buying Much Needed Spectrum From Verizon
For Switch To Next-Generation 4G LTE
By Gary Krakow
This morning, T-Mobile USA announced a plan to buy a swath of Advanced Wireless Services (better known as AWS) spectrum licenses in more than 200 American cities from Verizon Wireless.
It's a major step necessary to switch the country's number four cellular provider to future 4G services.
T-Mobile says the sale should help improve its “spectrum position” in 15 of the top 25 markets by allowing T-Mobile to acquire additional AWS spectrum and realign what it currently has.
Following government approval, T-Mobile plans to “enhance the company’s 4G mobile broadband service, including the rollout of LTE service next year”.
Today's announcement covers 60 million people in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Detroit, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Columbus, Ohio, Raleigh/Durham, Greensboro, NC, Milwaukee, Memphis and Rochester, NY.
In addition, it also calls for a swap of licenses in other areas to “create more contiguous blocks of spectrum and re-align spectrum in adjacent markets”.
The plan needs approval by the FCC and the Department of Justice.