T-Mobile was the first of the three carriers to roll out “Nationwide 5G” in the US. And thanks to its purchase of Sprint, it is better positioned to win the race for 5G, thanks to the much coveted 2.5GHz spectrum that Sprint had.
T-Mobile rolled out its 5G network nationwide in 2020. And since then, it has continued to build it out, as well as release more and more phones that work on its 5G network. We now have smartphones, tablets, and even hotspots that work on T-Mobile 5G.
But the real question is just how good is T-Mobile’s 5G? And how much will it cost you, is it worth switching and more. We’ll aim to answer these questions in this post. So you can learn everything you need to know about T-Mobile and its 5G Network.
What is T-Mobile 5G?
T-Mobile 5G is built a bit different than its competitors. For one, it’s using three layers of spectrum for its network. Unlike Verizon and AT&T which are mostly relying on low-band and then mmWave for its network.
T-Mobile benefited greatly from the 600MHz auction and its merger with Sprint going through. T-Mobile rolled out 5G initially on its 600MHz spectrum, which is why it was able to roll it out nationwide, however the speeds weren’t what we expected from 5G. That’s because this is low-band spectrum which offers some great coverage, but speed (and capacity) suffers here.
When T-Mobile closed the deal with Sprint, it also got access to a ton of 2.5GHz spectrum, which many carriers were biting at the chomps to get from Sprint. Sprint itself got the spectrum from purchasing Clearwire in the early 2010s. Which is going to help with T-Mobile’s 5G network, adding more capacity without sacrificing coverage as much as mmWave would.
What are the layers of T-Mobile’s 5G Cake?
T-Mobile has talked a lot about it’s 5G Cake. Which is a really good way to show what their plan is for their 5G network. You can see a picture of it above.
Basically at the bottom, there’s low-band for nationwide 5G. That’s using the 600MHz spectrum that is also used for 4G LTE. That explains why its nationwide 5G network is very similar in speed to 4G LTE.
In the middle there is mid-band, for larger metro areas. This uses the 2.5GHz spectrum that it got from the merger with Sprint.
Finally, we have mmWave at the top, which is going to be ideal for dense urban areas. Think of cities like New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. As well as venues like the Staples Center, Ford Field, etc. Where there are tens of thousands of people in a small area. mmWave is going to provide a lot more capacity, but the coverage of mmWave is really terrible.
And that’s why T-Mobile is using 600MHz, 2.5GHz and mmWave altogether for its 5G network. To provide great coverage and incredible speeds.
What happens to Sprint’s 5G network?
In April of 2020, the merger with Sprint was made complete. Which meant that it was only a matter of time before its 5G network was taken down and integrated into T-Mobile’s network. When the merger was complete, a lot of people were worried that it might end up like the Nextel-Sprint merger in the early 2000s. Where Sprint wasn’t able to actually use Nextel’s network for nearly a decade after it purchased the company.
However, T-Mobile had a good history of merging with another carrier. Like MetroPCS. It was able to merge quite nicely with MetroPCS which was also a CDMA carrier – like Verizon and Sprint.
The early Sprint 5G smartphones no longer work on T-Mobile (or Sprint’s) 5G network. We’re talking about the Galaxy S10 5G and Note 10 5G phones. Anything like the Galaxy S20 and newer will still work on T-Mobile’s 5G network, which is good to hear.
The Sprint 5G network is gone, and has been refarmed into T-Mobile’s 5G network. If you have a 5G phone and it doesn’t work on T-Mobile, you likely need to get a new one.
Is there T-Mobile 5G coverage in my area?
Most likely. Yes.
T-Mobile launched 5G in almost every city across the country. This is thanks to the large amount of 600MHz (and in some areas, 700MHz) spectrum that T-Mobile owns. Below is a list of cities that have T-Mobile 5G on the 2.5GHz band right now (which means enhanced 5G):
- Arizona
- Eloy
- Arkansas
- Jacksonville
- North Little Rock
- Trumann
- California
- Azusa
- Baldwin Park
- Citrus
- Florence-Graham
- Garden Grove
- La Puente
- Los Angeles
- Monrovia
- Norwalk
- Ontario
- Paramount
- San Fernando
- Temple City
- Walnut Park
- West Carson
- Willowbrook
- Connecticut
- New Haven
- Delaware
- Wilmington
- Florida
- Azalea Park
- Dunedin
- East Lake-Orient Park
- Elfers
- Holiday
- Inwood
- Key Vista
- Longwood
- Minneola
- New Port Richey
- Nokomis
- Oak Ridge
- Port Richey
- Progress Village
- Ridgecrest
- Sky Lake
- Venice
- Westchase
- Zephyrhills
- Georgia
- Atlanta
- Dallas
- Gainesville
- Grayson
- Johns Creek
- Mableton
- Newnan
- North Atlanta
- Riverdale
- Scottdale
- Smyrna
- Winder
- Illinois
- Addison
- Arlington Heights
- Aurora
- Batavia
- Belleville
- Bellwood
- Bloomington
- Bradley
- Bridgeview
- Buffalo Grove
- Burbank
- Calumet City
- Carol Stream
- Champaign
- Channahon
- Chicago
- Chicago Heights
- Chicago Ridge
- Cicero
- Crestwood
- Dolton
- Eglin
- Elk Grove Village
- Elmwood Park
- Evergreen Park
- Forest Park
- Glendale Heights
- Granite City
- Hanover Park
- Hazel Crest
- Hoffman Estates
- Indian Creek
- Ingalls Park
- Kankakee
- Lake Zurich
- Lansing
- Lemont
- Lockport
- Lombard
- Lyons
- Markham
- Maywood
- Melrose Park
- Midlothian
- Mount Prospect
- Mundelein
- Naperville
- Niles
- Normal
- Norridge
- North Chicago
- Northlake
- Oak Lawn
- Palos Hills
- Park Forest
- Paxton
- Pekin
- Plainfield
- Richton Park
- River Grove
- Riverdale
- Romeoville
- Schaumburg
- South Chicago Heights
- Stone Park
- Streamwood
- Swansea
- Tinley Park
- University Park
- Urbana
- Vernon Hills
- Waterloo
- Waukegan
- Wheaton
- Wheeling
- Woodridge
- Worth
- Indiana
- Crown Point
- Evansville
- Greenwood
- Hammond
- Indianapolis city (balance)
- Lawrence
- Merrillville
- Kansas
- Overland Park
- Pittsburg
- Wichita
- Maryland
- Crofton
- Largo
- Laurel
- Lochearn
- Maryland City
- Melrose
- Middle City
- Middle River
- Parkville
- Revere
- Saugus
- Severn
- Towson
- Urbana
- **Massachusetts
- Holbrook
- Waltham
- Michigan
- Bangor
- Center Line
- Clinton
- Decatur
- Eastpointe
- Inkster
- Warren
- Ypsilanti
- Minnesota
- Columbia Heights
- Elk River
- Hilltop
- Hopkins
- Maplewood
- Minneapolis
- St. Paul
- Missouri
- Black Jack
- Carthage
- Charlack
- Clayton
- Cliff Village
- Columbia
- Dennis Acres
- Flordell Hills
- Foristell
- Grandview
- Houston Lake
- Joplin
- Kirkwood
- Lake Mykee Town
- Lawson
- New Bloomfield
- Raytown
- St. Joseph
- St. Louis
- University City
- Warrensburg
- Nevada
- Enterprise
- New Jersey
- Atlantic City
- Brooklawn
- Camden
- Cliffside Park
- Clifton
- Dover
- East Newark
- East Orange
- Echelon
- Edgewater
- Elizabeth
- Elmwood Park
- Englewood
- Fair Lawn
- Fairview
- Fort Lee
- Franklin Center
- Garfield
- Glen Rock
- Guttenberg
- Hasbrouck Heights
- Hoboken
- Interlaken
- Jersey City
- Kearny
- Linden
- Lodi
- Morristown
- Newark
- North Arlington
- Palisades Park
- Passaic
- Paterson
- Pine Hill
- Pine Valley
- Ridgefield
- Rockaway
- Roselle
- Rutherford
- Secaucus
- Somerville
- Totowa
- Trenton
- Union City
- Victory Gardens
- Wallington
- Wanamassa
- West New York
- Wharton
- Wood-Ridge
- New York
- Amsterdam
- Babylon
- Central Islip
- Copiague
- East Williston
- Franklin Square
- Freeport
- Garden City
- Garden City Park
- Green Island
- Harbor Isle
- Hempstead
- Island Park
- Lake Mohegan
- Lindenhurst
- Long Beach
- Malverne Park Oaks
- Middle Island
- Mineola
- New York
- Plainview
- Shrub Oak
- South Hempstead
- Terryville
- Troy
- University Gardens
- West Babylon
- West Hempstead
- Williston Park
- North Carolina
- Apex
- Asheville
- Charlotte
- Clemmons
- Concord
- Cornelius
- Hendersonville
- Kernersville
- Pineville
- Piney Green
- Stallings
- Statesville
- Valley Hill
- Vanceboro
- Winston-Salem
- Youngsville
- Ohio
- Avalon
- Brooklyn
- Cincinnati
- Columbus
- Finneytown
- Hamilton
- Hanover
- Lancaster
- London
- McKees Rocks
- Monroe
- Rossmoyne
- Sandusky
- Oklahoma
- Broken Arrow
- Choctaw
- Del City
- Smith Village
- Oregon
- Aloha
- Newberg
- Sherwood
- Pennsylvania
- Aldan
- Aliquippa
- Allentown
- Arnold
- Beaver
- Bellmawr
- Bethlehem
- Blawnox
- Brackenridge
- Braddock
- Bridgewater
- Bryn Mawr
- Chalfant
- Chester
- Collingswood
- Colwyn
- Darby
- Duryea
- East Lansdowne
- Folsom
- Kerrtown
- Lansdowne
- Levittown
- Liberty
- Meadville
- Millbourne
- Munhall
- New Kensington
- North Braddock
- Philadelphia
- Phoenixville
- Rankin
- Ridley Park
- Rutledge
- Tarentum
- Upland
- Verona
- Whitaker
- Yeadon
- Youngstown
- Rhode Island
- Woonsocket
- South Carolina
- Goose Creek
- Sangaree
- Tennessee
- Berry Hill
- Franklin
- Hendersonville
- Knoxville
- Lebanon
- Maryville
- Oak Ridge
- Sevierville
- Shelbyville
- Texas
- Bacliff
- Cloverleaf
- Dallas
- Fifth Street
- Galena Park
- Houston
- Jacinto City
- La Porte
- Nassau Bay
- Shenandoah
- South Houston
- Stafford
- Virginia
- Alexandria
- Arlington
- Bailey’s Crossroads
- Brambleton
- Broadlands
- Bull Run
- Falls Church
- Hampton
- Herndon
- Highland Springs
- Lake Barcroft
- Loudoun Valley Estates
- Manassas
- Manassas Park
- Merrifield
- Newport News
- Norfolk
- Richmond
- Springfield
- Sudley
- Tysons Corner
- Virginia Beach
- Washington
- Yorkshire
- Washington
- Burien
- Geneva
- Monroe
- Oak Harbor
- Snohomish
- Washington D.C.
- Wisconsin
- Beloit
- Milwaukee
- Neenah
- South Milwaukee
- West Allis
T-Mobile now shows its “Ultra Capacity 5G” on its coverage map. So you can see where you’ll get faster speeds. This is 2.5GHz spectrum and not mmWave. So it’ll show larger areas than Verizon would with its mmWave.
What phones work on T-Mobile’s 5G Network?
Most of the phones on the market right now support T-Mobile’s 5G network. Even if you don’t buy it from T-Mobile. Here are a few options for T-Mobile-branded phones that work on its 5G network:
As for unlocked phones, you have a few more options, mostly those from OnePlus.
The amount of 5G phones will continue to improve over the coming years as more phones become available.
What plans are available with 5G connectivity?
The skinny here is that, all of T-Mobile’s plans work with 5G, and come with it included. Meaning that there’s no extra fee to be able to use 5G on T-Mobile.
Unlike some of its competitors, T-Mobile does not make any major distinctions between its networks. So you’ll get 2G, 3G, 4G LTE or 5G, depending on where you are, on any and all plans.
It’s worth noting that the new Magenta Max plan is the best for those that want to take full advantage of its 5G network. This is the truly unlimited plan, with no cap on when you’ll get throttled. It costs $85 per month, and of course gets cheaper the more lines you add.
Magenta Max also comes with 40GB of mobile hotspot at 4G/5G speeds, afterwards it is slowed down to 3G speeds. There’s also Netflix included for a single line, something that is not the case with the regular Magenta plans – typically you need at least two lines.
Finally, with Magenta Max, you also get 4K streaming. And aren’t limited to SD streaming like on its other plans. So you can really take full advantage of this 5G network with the Magenta Max plan here.
Will T-Mobile 5G give me cancer?
No.
There have been a lot of conspiracy theories going around the past couple years, claiming that 5G is going to penetrate the human body and give us cancer. When the COVID-19 pandemic first started, many tried to claim that 5G caused COVID-19, which is also not true.
Let’s think about this for a second. The majority of the spectrum being used for 5G, is already in use on 4G networks. The only real change here is mmWave. Which is a much higher band of spectrum, and it’s actually really weak. Have you ever wondered why all of those gigabit speed tests on 5G networks only happened outside? That’s because it can’t penetrate through walls to work indoors. At least not yet.
Yet, people seem to think that mmWave, which can’t even handle some light wind, is going to be able to penetrate the human body. No. It’s not going to. mmWave can barely handle light wind, or a tree getting in its way, before disconnecting from your phone.
This is why it is important to do some research on these theories before spreading them. As some of them are pretty idiotic. And spreading fake news is never a good idea.
Is T-Mobile 5G worth it?
T-Mobile’s 5G network has gotten a lot of hate since it launched in 2020. Many complain that it’s the same speed if not slower than 4G LTE. And the reason for that is because it is using the same spectrum as 4G LTE. So yeah, the speed is going to be almost the same. However, those in markets with 2.5GHz and mmWave available, are seeing much faster speeds.
It’ll take time before the full 5G Cake is complete for T-Mobile, but once it is, it may be the best value in wireless. T-Mobile is already much cheaper than most of the competition, when it comes to its plans. And that will likely continue.
As we say with all the carriers and plans for 5G, don’t upgrade to a 5G phone for 5G. Upgrade because you need or want a new phone. It’s not worth it to upgrade solely for 5G at this point. That will change in a couple of years, of course. But for now, it’s just not worth it.
The post T-Mobile 5G: Price, Plans, Availability & More appeared first on Android Headlines.
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