T-Mobile Senior Vice President Dave Mayo took to the company’s Insight and Issues blog this afternoon and provided us with a brief update on T-Mobile’s current 4G network modernization progress. Let’s hit some of the high-points as Mayo says that the first 400 modernized GSM/HSPA+ sites will be completed by the end of June, with more than 2,500 sites installed by the end of July. Of course, those sites are likely scattered across the country and are not ready for true consumer tests.
Furthermore, Mayo says the company has “…also secured zoning approval or do not require zoning for over 19,500 sites and have completed necessary entitlement work, including obtaining building permits for over 4,000 sites”
The good news is that T-Mobile is already testing some “small scale” tests of 4G HSPA+ service in the 1900MHz spectrum, as we just saw earlier in the week at Apple’s Developer Conference in San Francisco.
As so many of you ask, we’ll highlight with bold faced font this next sentence and say that “…More of these speed sightings will occur as we work toward introducing 4G HSPA+ service in our 1900 MHz spectrum in a large number of markets later this year.”
As for T-Mobile’s LTE rollout, trials are already underway and beginning this summer, T-Mobile will using Release-10 equipment in these trials hoping to give the company a big edge over the competition in the LTE arena when the network launches next year.
Hit the full press release below for all the details.
Full Press Release:
By: Dave Mayo, senior vice president of technology
We’re making great progress in just three short months since we first announced T-Mobile’s $4 billion 4G network evolution plan, including network modernization and deployment of long term evolution (LTE) service in 2013. Here are some of the highlights:
Just last month, T-Mobile announced multi-year agreements with Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks to support our $4 billion 4G network evolution plan, which will include a modernization of 37,000 cell sites and a move to the latest, state-of-the-art, LTE release 10 capable equipment.
Initially, this effort will improve existing voice and data coverage, make our 4G network compatible with a broader range of devices (including the iPhone), and pave the way for long term evolution (LTE) service next year.
With contracts in place, we’re making excellent headway on our network infrastructure transformation. By the end of this month we expect new equipment to be installed at our first 400 modernized GSM / HSPA+ sites and we plan to grow this to over 2,500 sites by the end of July.
We’ve also secured zoning approval or do not require zoning for over 19,500 sites and have completed necessary entitlement work, including obtaining building permits for over 4,000 sites.
As new equipment is in place, we’re turning up some small scale tests of 4G HSPA+ service in our 1900 MHz spectrum. Some customers with unlocked iPhones recently saw evidence of those tests; clocking much faster data speeds at the Moscone West conference center in San Francisco. More of these speed sightings will occur as we work toward introducing 4G HSPA+ service in our 1900 MHz spectrum in a large number of markets later this year.
Finally, LTE trials are underway and this summer we’ll begin using Release-10 equipment in these trials. The ability to launch with this next version of LTE technology is one advantage of launching next year.
We’ll be sure to keep you posted on our progress along the way.