T-Mobile claimed yesterday it is the first telecom provider in the world to launch a commercial nationwide standalone architecture (SA) 5G network. The move immediately expands the telecom’s 5G footprint — to nearly 2,000 additional cities and towns, brings 5G deeper into buildings and sets the stage for future applications.
To celebrate the milestone and the arrival of 5G for the first time in hundreds of small towns across America, T-Mobile used drones to light up the sky over Lisbon, ND, letting people in the small town know “5G is here.” The company plans similar celebrations in the future. Click this link to check out the video.
“Since Sprint became part of T-Mobile, we’ve been rapidly combining networks for a supercharged Un-carrier while expanding our nationwide 5G footprint, and today we take a massive step into the future with standalone 5G architecture,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “This is where it gets interesting, opening the door for massive innovation in this country.”
The first phase of 5G has focused on delivering new 5G radio capabilities while leveraging existing LTE core networks and has been key in accelerating 5G deployment. Now T-Mobile claims its new 5G core is “coming to life,” which in the future can unlock fast speeds in more places, real-time responses and massive connectivity.
SA, when coupled with core network slicing in the future, will lead to an environment where transformative applications are made possible. In SA areas, T-Mobile engineers have seen up to a 40 percent improvement in latency during testing.
In the near-term, SA allows T-Mobile to use its entire 600 MHz footprint for 5G. With non-standalone network architecture, 600 MHz 5G is combined with mid-band LTE to access the core network, but without SA the 5G signal only goes as far as mid-band LTE.
With Tuesday’s launch, 600 MHz 5G can go beyond the mid-band signal, covering hundreds of square miles from a single tower and going deeper into buildings than before, according to the company. Thanks to T-Mobile’s ongoing 5G build, and by flipping the switch on SA, the telecom has increased its 5G footprint by 30 percent — now covering 1.3 million square miles in more than 7,500 cities and towns. Check out the map here.
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