T-Mobile launching 5G in six cities on June 28
T-Mobile will officially launch its mobile 5G network on Friday, June 28, beginning with in six U.S. cities with just one phone, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G.
The initial cities include Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York City, T-Mobile said. The carrier's infrastructure includes the fastest 5G variant, millimeter wave, though maps confirm that only a handful of areas will be covered this month. In New York City for example 5G is limited to neighborhoods like the Lower East Side and downtown Brooklyn, completely excluding areas like Harlem and Queens.
The 6.7-inch S10 5G is perhaps Samsung's most expensive phone, costing $1,299 if bought outright.
T-Mobile used Tuesday's announcement to push for its proposed $26.5 billion merger with Sprint, arguing that combining its own 5G network with Sprint's mid-band spectrum would "deliver a broad and deep truly nationwide 5G network." It also reiterated a promise not to charge extra for 5G for at least three years.
The merger is facing opposition by 10 U.S. states, whose attorneys general recently filed suit to block the deal. The federal Justice Department is believed to be on the fence, allegedly asking for things like a spinoff carrier as a condition of approval.
Apple isn't expected to ship a 5G iPhone until 2020. That device could come in 5.4- and 6.7-inch sizes, relegating a 6.1-inch iPhone to 4G.
The initial cities include Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York City, T-Mobile said. The carrier's infrastructure includes the fastest 5G variant, millimeter wave, though maps confirm that only a handful of areas will be covered this month. In New York City for example 5G is limited to neighborhoods like the Lower East Side and downtown Brooklyn, completely excluding areas like Harlem and Queens.
The 6.7-inch S10 5G is perhaps Samsung's most expensive phone, costing $1,299 if bought outright.
T-Mobile used Tuesday's announcement to push for its proposed $26.5 billion merger with Sprint, arguing that combining its own 5G network with Sprint's mid-band spectrum would "deliver a broad and deep truly nationwide 5G network." It also reiterated a promise not to charge extra for 5G for at least three years.
The merger is facing opposition by 10 U.S. states, whose attorneys general recently filed suit to block the deal. The federal Justice Department is believed to be on the fence, allegedly asking for things like a spinoff carrier as a condition of approval.
Apple isn't expected to ship a 5G iPhone until 2020. That device could come in 5.4- and 6.7-inch sizes, relegating a 6.1-inch iPhone to 4G.
Comments
It's just a bragging feature at the moment. Most people don't understand specs and companies like Samscum prey on the ignorance of the public.
Every. fu**ing. year.
Android manufacturers jump on the latest half-baked feature and spread misinformation in ads and their customers eat that crap up like sheep.
And yeah: hardly a “launch” I completely agree.
But st least it’s not just inside “select stores”....
Yeah, I know it isn't 5GE...
But, that may depend on existing infrastructure: Where telephone poles serve a neighborhood they will have ready made towers for transmitter stations every 100 feet or so. But, in the newer neighborhoods with underground wiring or in rural areas they may have to make do with longer wave variants that are slower but travel further.
So, at least where millimeter wave are feasible, I can easily see bundles (like Comcast is already offering in 4G) of a combined mobile and home internet. And, that might become even more important to them as a revenue driver as TV cable slowly dries up.
But, at a minimum, I think it will ultimately provide competition to the traditional cable companies -- which will push prices down and performance up. Those robbers have enjoyed a unregulated monopoly for far too long.
Speed is also a question - the theoretical speeds are fast, but with every mobile tech rollout we've seen in the past, the actual speeds are far lower that what is promised. Even now you never see speeds that approach the theoretical maximum of 4G LTE.
Another issue is that everything I've read about the high speed mm wave signal is that it is highly susceptible to interference. Even things like leaves and rain can apparently cause an issue. This means there's the potential for your broadband to go out during a rain storm, particularly if you're a bit further away from the antenna. I haven't seen any actual real world tests on this, this is just from the tech blogs, etc that I've read.
It would make sense for the government to step in to insure that 5G is rolled out efficiently, quickly and effectively (including rural areas) but in today's political environment that will never happen.