We’ve been covering network upgrades here on TmoNews for many months, posting on sightings in various locations. Whether it be new LTE sites or upgrades to wideband LTE. But during that time, one thing has become increasingly clear: The network engineers are working ridiculously fast. We get new sightings every single week, across various states and markets. So it’s no surprise to us that T-Mobile’s LTE network now officially covers 250 million Americans, and has reached that number months ahead of schedule.
In a blog post today Neville Ray, the company’s networking chief, announced the figure and also updated us on the company’s plans for the upcoming months. T-Mo plans to have 280 million people covered by the LTE network by the middle of next year, and 300 million covered by the end of 2015.
We’ll do this by lighting up our 700 MHz and 1900 MHz PCS spectrum with LTE, and by continuing to push LTE on our AWS spectrum. Over 40 markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., are the first of what will soon be many to get LTE on our 1900 MHz PCS spectrum and the team has been making huge progress in preparing our network for our recently acquired low-band 700 MHz A-Block spectrum with our first sites already on air. This low-band spectrum will be a powerful boost to our ambitious network plans, substantially improving in-building 4G LTE coverage, as well as expanding coverage well beyond major population centers.
T-Mobile is also building out its wideband LTE network, with Connecticut and the Greater Bay Area being the most recent two areas to receive the speed bump. With those two included, wideband LTE is now active in 19 markets. And if T-Mobile continues at its current pace, that number could rise to 26 markets before the year is out.