Yesterday T-Mobile announced that it would launch the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition, its second phone with support for 600MHz 5G. Now it’s been confirmed that those two phones will work on the merged T-Mobile-Sprint network if that deal goes through.
The OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition and Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G will support both T-Mobile’s low-band and Sprint’s mid-band 5G networks if the carriers’ merger is completed. T-Mo confirmed this news to PCMag, saying that the Galaxy S10 5G that works on T-Mobile’s mmWave 5G network will support Sprint’s mid-band 5G as well.
This is great news for anyone thinking about buying the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition or Galaxy Note 10+ 5G when they launch later this year. While T-Mobile hasn’t announced pricing for these phones, neither are likely to be cheap. Including support for Sprint’s mid-band 5G network would help to future-proof these phones a bit, giving any early adopters thinking about buying one of T-Mo’s new 5G phones some peace of mind that their 5G handset will be able to access the improved 5G coverage that would come with adding Sprint’s mid-band spectrum to T-Mobile’s 5G network.
T-Mobile plans to offer 600MHz-based 5G coverage to 200 million people by the end of the year. The OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition and Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G will also launch at T-Mobile sometime this year, but T-Mo hasn’t yet revealed any launch or pricing info for either device.
T-Mobile also has mmWave 5G coverage in parts of six U.S. cities — Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York City — but the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition and Galaxy Note 10+ 5G won’t be able to access that network. T-Mobile does sell the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G that can access the mmWave 5G coverage, but not the upcoming 600MHz 5G.
If T-Mobile is allowed to merge with Sprint, T-Mo has said that it plans to utilize Sprint’s mid-band spectrum to bolster its own network. “If regulators approve our merger with Sprint, we’ll have the crucial mid-band spectrum (2.5GHz), which provides the balance of coverage and capacity that enables a seamless and meaningful 5G experience,” T-Mo recently said.
The merger of T-Mobile and Sprint has gotten formal approval from the Department of Justice and FCC, but it’s currently facing a lawsuit from more than 15 states who say that the merger will harm competition and raise prices. That trial is set to begin in early December.
Source: PCMag