T-Mobile had a dinner date with FCC officials to discuss its upcoming 5G network and proposed Sprint merger.
5G brings a huge potential to boost the economy and bring greater connectivity to citizens. As such, regulators and lawmakers are meeting with operators to decide how to capitalise on these benefits.
In a heavily redacted T-Mobile presentation, the operator provided key expectations about its 5G network.
By 2024, its expected T-Mobile and Sprint's network will handle 21 exabytes of data per month if the merger is allowed to proceed.
The operator uses its presentation in an attempt to convince the regulator why the merger is a good idea.
T-Mobile says its peak 5G throughput would be 4.2Gbps by 2024, compared to 2.8Gbps for T-Mobile and 0.7Gbps for Sprint if they remain separate.
The average 5G throughput of the combined network would be 451Mbps while providing over 100Mbps to over 293 million people.
Spectral efficiency, T-Mobile claims, will be higher for both 4×2 MIMO and 4×4 MIMO compared to LTE.
T-Mobile expects 2021 to be a pivotal moment for 5G-capable handset adoption, even though it plans to begin selling devices next year.
During its talks with the FCC, T-Mobile notes its combination of spectrum with Sprint in the low, mid, and high bands will offer a “robust, nationwide 5G network to the benefit of consumers.”
Furthermore, the increased number of cell sites will improve capacity. “The aggregation of these resources would enable New T-Mobile to deliver unprecedented capacity and performance,” T-Mobile claimed.
Regulators and government officials are seeking to understand 5G and ensure its full potential is reached.
Last month, Telecoms reported White House officials were set to meet representatives from each of the major US networks.
Part of enabling rapid and effective 5G deployment is to ensure regulations do not get in the way.
The FCC recently imposed a limit on how much local municipalities can bill for letting telecom carriers mount 5G cellular equipment on city-owned infrastructure.
Several US cities have since threatened lawsuits in response to the new rules, claiming ‘overreach’ by the FCC.
T-Mobile and Sprint currently expect their merger to close in the first half of 2019.
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