Rural broadband coverage is priority for T-Mobile 600 MHz plans
According to an Aug. 4 “ex parte notice” to the Federal Communications Commission, T-Mobile US is looking to “rapidly deploy” the 600 MHz spectrum the carrier purchased during the FCC-led incentive auction that concluded in March. A key part of the immediate plans for the new spectrum is bringing “new competition and choice to rural areas previous unserved by T-Mobile.”
The document is essentially a summary of an Aug. 2 conversation between T-Mobile’s SVP of Technology Dave Mayo, SVP of Government Affairs Kathleen Ham, VP of Government Affairs, Engineering and Technology Policy Steve Sharkey and Director of Spectrum Policy Chris Wieczorek, and three representatives from the FCC.
T-Mobile US spent around $8 billion in the 600 MHz incentive auction, which closed in March. The self-billed “Un-carrier” won 1,525 10-megahertz licenses covering 414 of the 428 partial economic areas covered in the auction. The carrier said it won 45% of the spectrum sold with an average depth of 31 megahertz and at least 10 megahertz covering all of the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
The FCC set a 39-month timeline for television broadcasters to clear their operations from the 600 MHz spectrum band, which would put full spectrum availability into early 2020, or about the time most expect commercial 5G services to be coming on air. T-Mobile plans to put some of the low-band spectrum to work this year, pending availability of 600 MHz compatible equipment from vendors Ericsson and Nokia, which is set to hit the market later this year. Qualcomm also plans to bring to market smartphone chipsets that support the 600 MHz band.
From the document: “T-Mobile’s representatives said that keeping the 600 MHz relocation on schedule offers one of the most promising means available to accelerate and expand wireless broadband deployment in the United States, especially for the hundreds of thousands of square miles of rural and remote portions of the country where residents may have never had wireless broadband connections or where competition is limited. Quickly approving cost estimates and rapidly dispersing the money necessary to help fund broadcast relocation will complement the wireless operators’ massive investments in deploying the 600 MHz spectrum as quickly as possible. While the initial estimates by broadcasters exceed the amount allocated by Congress by approximately $389 million, we noted that the Commission is still examining and verifying the estimates, that actual costs will vary from the estimates, and that there is time and support for ensuring that sufficient funds exist to fully reimburse broadcasters.”
