Tag: T-Mobile

Will US Wireless Carriers’ Voluntary Commitments Address Aviation Safety Concerns for 5G Use?

Four major US wireless carriers have recently made voluntary commitments to address aviation safety concerns and allow full use of the C-Band wireless spectrum for 5G use. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile US, and UScellular submitted a letter to the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) outlining their voluntary commitments to support full-power deployments across C-Band while minimizing the operational impact on their C-Band operations.

The FAA had previously expressed concerns that 5G service could interfere with airplane altimeters, which provide critical data on a plane’s height above the ground and are essential for safe landing during bad weather. This had led to brief disruptions at some US airports last year, prompting the voluntary commitments by the wireless carriers.

Verizon and AT&T had already agreed to delay some C-Band 5G usage until July last year, while T-Mobile and UScellular had not begun deployment at the time of the agreement. The latest voluntary commitments are seen as a major step forward and will allow carriers to increase power levels to get to full C-Band use.

The voluntary commitments made by the wireless carriers could last until 2028, according to sources briefed on the matter. The FAA had initially sought to extend some through up to 2033. The FCC has not yet commented on the matter, while the FAA said it continues to work closely to ensure a safe co-existence in the US 5G C-band environment.

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Sierra Wireless Investigates Issue with 5G Band

Sierra Wireless, a Semtech company, released a statement late yesterday regarding an issue found on some AirLink devices. Take a look at the details below:

We are investigating an issue where MG90 5G single-radio North American and XR80/90 5G North American routers may experience permanent and irreversible connectivity issues on 5G band n41 used by T-Mobile and Rogers. For the complete details, refer to the Bulletin located on The Source here:

This bulletin provides steps that our customers using our 5G routers on T-Mobile and Rogers must take to ensure their routers remain operable until new firmware is released.

The details are:

  • 5G band n41 is used by T-Mobile and Rogers, therefore this issue only impacts 5G routers operating on T-Mobile and Rogers.
  • n41 may experience permanent and irreversible damage. The occurrence of the issue can be prevented by following the steps in the bulletin.

Please refer to the Bulletin for the details.

Corrective MGOS and AIRLINK OS firmware releases will be available in the May 2023 timeframe.

We will provide additional guidance when we have details to share about the upcoming MGOS/AIRLINK OS releases.

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5G Carrier Aggregation: How T-Mobile Does it Better 

T-Mobile has been called the best carrier because of a recent cellular report. Though, they want to keep taking their network to the next level. And that’s just what they’re doing, according to President of Technology Neville Ray. He spoke in a keynote at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona yesterday and announced that T-Mobile achieved something epic. They made the world’s first four-carrier aggregation data call on its 5G SA network with a commercial device and reached speeds above 3.3 Gbps.

“We are working with industry leaders around the globe to move the 5G ecosystem forward for the benefit of wireless customers everywhere,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “With the most advanced 5G network in the world, T-Mobile is at the forefront of wireless innovation, spearheading new capabilities so we can continue raising the performance bar and enable future transformative applications that require a seamless and robust 5G connection.”

Four-Carrier Aggregation

Carrier aggregation is a technique used in LTE and 5G networks to increase the data transmission rates and capacity by aggregating multiple frequency bands or carriers into a single logical channel. By combining multiple carriers, the available spectrum can be used more efficiently, enabling higher data speeds and more reliable connectivity.

In their test, the Un-carrier merged four 5G channels of mid-band spectrum – two channels of 2.5 GHz Ultra Capacity 5G and two channels of 1900 MHz spectrum – creating an effective 225 MHz 5G channel. That’s like taking four separate highways and turning them into a massive superhighway where traffic can zoom faster than before. Customers with the Samsung Galaxy S23 will be among the first to experience four-carrier aggregation later this year. More devices will follow.  

VoNR (Voice over New Radio)

With VoNR, T-Mobile is moving voice traffic to 5G so customers stay consistently connected to 5G. In the near-term, customers connected to VoNR may notice slightly faster call set-up times. This means less delay between the time they dial a number and when the phone starts ringing. But VoNR is about more than just a better calling experience. Most importantly, VoNR brings T-Mobile one step closer to truly unleashing its 5G SA network. This is because it enables advanced capabilities like network slicing that rely on a continuous connection to a 5G core. 

Today VoNR is now live in six cities – Cincinnati, OH; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; and Seattle, WA. The carrier will expand this technology to additional cities covering more than 100 million people in the coming months.

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When Will T-Mobile’s 2G Network Shutdown?

T-Mobile recently posted that their 2G network is scheduled to be retired on April 2, 2024. The carrier’s process of turning down these services does not include the deactivation of devices. It is imperative that you deactivate any T-Mobile 2G devices before the end of the March 23, 2024, billing cycle to avoid on-going billing of the service. 

Can I Still Use My Current Device?

With regards to voice devices, it will need to support Voice over LTE (VoLTE). This must also be VoLTE 911 capable. If the device does not, you will need to upgrade or replace your device to ensure continued voice calling and coverage.

For data only 4G/LTE devices, manufacturers advise that certain devices configured as DATA ONLY may no longer attach to the network after the sunset due to a default voice-centric setting. When these devices attach after the sunset they will attempt to request voice-centric signaling and will get a response from the network saying they are attached as data-centric. The module will see the mismatch and scan for another network that supports 3G voice-centric. This may prompt a “No Service” condition and the device may fail to connect. 

Manufacturers are advising customers operating DATA ONLY devices (but contain a data/voice module) to undertake one of the three options below:

  1. Swap out the device for a Data only device 
  2. Execute the appropriate AT+ command based on your device to disable the VoLTE and IMS services to make the configuration data-centric
  3. Perform a firmware update to resolve the issue. Check with the device vendor if it can be reconfigured to data-centric AND all voice and IMS services disabled. This is normally accomplished using a firmware update from the vendor.

Should you require any assistance finding an appropriate data only device, ask the 5Gstore sales team about our cellular modems and routers. Contact us today by phone, email, or chat!

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What Do 5G Symbols Mean on My Phone

In the past, we’ve discussed the technical factors surrounding 5G, such as frequency bands and the airwaves at which 5G operates (low, mid, and high). But what about the different terminology used by cellular providers and those 5G icons on your phone that indicate your cell phone’s signal strength? If you’ve wondered what those 5G, 5G Ultra Wideband, 5G Ultra Capacity, 5G Plus, and 5G C-Band symbols mean on your phone, you’re not alone. This is often a lot of confusion surrounding these 5G symbols. 5Gstore is here to explain exactly what they mean. Read on — this article will discuss the meaning behind 5G, 5GUW/UWB, 5GUC, and 5G C-Band symbols.

What is 5G?

When you hear 5G, you may think of the hype that surrounded its rollout in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Today, about 90% of America’s population has 5G available. Even if you’re in the 10% of the country that doesn’t yet offer 5G in your location, your smartphone is likely 5G-compatible and you have experienced 5G speeds in some capacity at a certain point.

The 5G signal strength is what providers like to call “5G Nationwide.” 5G is currently the most widely available service in America. Theoretically, 5G has the potential for 10 Gbps speeds; in reality 5G alone is similar to 4G LTE speeds. 5G service may provide you with enough speed to watch a high definition or 4K video; however, it may not be fast enough to handle multiple streams at the same time. 

What is 5G Ultra Wideband?

This is where 5G Ultra Wideband comes in. As Verizon’s highest-performing 5G, 5G Ultra Wideband (5G UW) can be up to 10x faster than 4G LTE. This makes it capable of handling multiple audio or video streams simultaneously. T-Mobile® and AT&T have similar 5G networks. T-Mobile calls this signal “Ultra Capacity,” or “5G UC.” AT&T calls it “5G Plus.”

What is C-Band?

You may also encounter “C-Band,” which is part of Verizon’s Ultra Wideband network. C-Band simply operates in a different section of 5G and is one of the newest types of 5G. It can be extremely fast and can support large amounts of data. C-Band is currently not widely available due to its limited range. 

5G Symbols

So what does that 5G symbol on your phone mean? 5G devices will display specific 5G icons connected to 5G Nationwide. These devices include those connected to Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile networks:

  • T-Mobile: T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity network may display a “5G UC” symbol. A 5G icon without the “UC” indicates that you’re connected to a slower 5G network. This is what T-Mobile refers to as “Extended Range.” 
  • Verizon: Verizon will show 5G UW (or 5G UWB) when connected to 5G Ultra Wideband. C-Band does not have its own indicator, so it falls under 5G UW for Verizon (or 5G+ for AT&T). 
  • AT&T: AT&T icons may display “5GE,” which is actually 4G LTE. AT&T simply got creative with their advertising in 2020 and came out with “5G Evolution.” 5G Evolution is supposed to be faster than traditional LTE, but its speeds are not quite as fast as you might expect from 5G. Unfortunately, it still appears on some phones. 

What to Look For on Your Phone

Note that not all phones are alike. For that reason, how they display their network details might differ slightly. Take a look below at some common examples. 

5G: This is simply 5G service. This 5G icon applies to all providers.

5GE: 5G Evolution is 4G LTE on the AT&T network.

5G+: 5G Plus is AT&T’s faster 5G service, and includes C-Band.

5G UW/ UWB: 5G Ultra Wideband is Verizon’s fastest 5G service.

5G UC: 5G Ultra Capacity is T-Mobile’s fastest 5G service available.

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T-Mobile Home Internet Users See What Can Happen with a Bad Firmware Update

When it comes to updates or upgrades, it may be a good rule of thumb to say that, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” However, with concerns around security, it’s a good idea to keep your electronic hardware up to date when security patches are made available. 

This is something that tens of thousands of T-Mobile home internet users have encountered as of last week. Due to a software update, users reported their service had stopped working. The reason not all of their 1.5 million users (as of Dec 2022) were affected was because the update was only sent to a certain model modem – Sagemcom Fast 5688W.

The problem caused the modems to be cut off from the carrier’s network. This then prevented them from being reset from T-Mobile’s end, according to the Mobile Report. What makes matters worse, is that customers’ only solution is to swap out the modem for a completely new unit. 

Not surprisingly, T-Mobile has stopped the update from being pushed out. The update was supposed to fix an issue of unintended reboots that had impacted the Sagemcom routers, so they continue to work with the manufacturer on next steps.  

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RootMetrics Reports on 2H 2022: How the Cellular Networks Compare

RootMetrics just released its report that measures overall network experience and performance for the most popular cellular networks in North America.

Test results were based on the second half of 2022 and cover all network technologies (5G, 4G LTE, and any sub-4G technology). The report also looks at the newest C-Band 5G performance for AT&T and Verizon. The test space for the report consists of the entirety of the United States, which includes 125 of the country’s most populated metropolitan markets (as defined by the United States Census Bureau’s Census Urbanized Areas [CUAs].

The report noted a few important points to take away regarding the three top cellular networks: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

2022 RootMetrics Report Highlights for AT&T

AT&T won five national awards, including the U.S. Overall Performance RootScore Award. AT&T was also recognized within the Reliability, Speed, Data and Call categories. AT&T tied with Verizon for first in the Text category. Additionally, AT&T also took home the most State RootScore Awards. Its results in major cities were strong, but it came in second to Verizon. AT&T shows 5G speed gains in 70 C-Band markets. Overall, AT&T has clearly made some improvements, both in LTE and 5G. 

2022 RootMetrics Report Highlights for T-Mobile

Compared with its competitors, T-Mobile’s results showed great speeds. It took home 88 Speed RootScore Score Awards, which were higher than those of AT&T (59) or Verizon (71).

Out of all carriers, T-Mobile’s overall median download speeds measured above 50 Mbps in the most cities. T-Mobile was also the only carrier that posted median download speeds above 200 Mbps. These speeds were achieved in 59 markets.

Even more impressive is how in 32 of those cities, T-Mobile recorded median download speeds above 300 Mbps; additionally, it acheived 400 Mbps speeds in one city (Fort Wayne, Indiana). Overall, the carrier delivered the Fastest 5G and the Best Overall 5G Experience in the U.S. for the third time. It was recognized for its top 5G availability four years in a row.

2022 RootMetrics Report Highlights for Verizon

Verizon took home the most awards out of any carrier in major metropolitan markets — a total of 747 awards out of 875 total opportunities. This was a representation of roughly 85% of all possible network awards. Verizon demonstrated the best 5G reliability out of all cellular carriers and earned the second most state-level awards. Verizon showed improved speeds, including 5G C-Band speed increases: RootMetrics’ tests recorded Verizon’s C-Band in 102 of its 123 cities with 5G. Further, the carrier’s 5G speeds improved in nearly 90 of these markets since 1H 2022. Outstanding Verizon reliability has also been seen in major metros, compared to 1H 2022.

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OpenSignal Reports: Who is the Best Cellular Provider?

OpenSignal has released their collection of data from cellular providers over the dates of September 16 to December 14 of 2022. It will be no surprise to some of us that in these cellular reports, T-Mobile has won out above the rest, yet again. 

On the mobile network experience report, multiple factors were tested. For overall experience, the cellular report included video, games, voice app, download speed, and upload speed. For coverage, they checked availability across the providers. Lastly, they checked for consistency in excellent quality and core quality. 

Experience and coverage might make sense, but what about consistency? Per OpenSignal, “Consistent Quality measures how often users’ experience on a network was sufficient to support common applications’ requirements. It measures download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, time to first byte and the percentage of tests attempted which did not succeed due to a connectivity issue on either the download or server response component.”

Core Consistent Quality represents common, but less demanding use cases such as SD video streaming, web browsing, and email use. Excellent Consistent Quality is designed for higher quality applications such as live video streaming and streaming video games. See how Consistent quality metrics are calculated here.

The only awards that T-Mobile did not take was in the Availability section. That award goes to the previous champion, AT&T. AT&T and Verizon were only 0.2 percentage points away from each other. T-Mobile came up last with a score of 98%.

OpenSignal’s 5G Experience Report awards were a bit of a toss up between Verizon and T-Mobile. The UnCarrier took a slight lead by winning in 4 categories (download and upload speeds, as well as availability and reach), versus Verizon’s 3 (Video, Games, and Voice app experiences). Much like the mobile network experience report, the 5G cellular report tests the same categories, but with 5G specifically, and less the consistency awards. Instead, in coverage, they checked both availability and reach.

Experience awards were all quite close, with Verizon just barely winning out over T-Mobile. The only exception being 5G download speeds. T-Mobile was the clear winner here, topping out at 186.3 Mbps versus 84.9 Mbps from Verizon and 71.1 Mbps from AT&T. Regarding coverage and 5G Availability, T-Mobile won again with a far lead of 30% over its closest competitor, AT&T. 

Per OpenSignal, “5G Reach measures the 5G mobile experience in all the locations that matter most to everyday users – i.e. all the places where they live, work and travel. 5G Reach for each operator is measured on a scale from 0 to 10.” The results were a bit closer on this one. With a score of 8.3, T-Mobile had a little over a 2 point lead ahead of AT&T and about 4 points from Verizon.  

Something to keep in mind when reviewing the results for yourself – tests were done at the national and regional level. While T-Mobile may be the majority winner, take note of the winners in your state. You may find a different provider is more appropriate.

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How Does T-Mobile’s 5G Coverage Compare?

[T-Mobile] BELLEVUE, Washington (Dec. 12, 2022)— Consider the mic dropped. T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) — America’s 5G leader — announced today that it has expanded 5G coverage and capacity, now reaching 323 million people with Extended Range 5G and 260 million people with Ultra Capacity 5G. With the achievement, T-Mobile reaches its mid-band 5G year-end goal weeks ahead of schedule and moves closer to its target of covering 300 million people with Ultra Capacity 5G by the end of 2023. The Un-carrier is also adding a massive boost to its Ultra capacity 5G network with a new nationwide layer of mid-band 5G spectrum: 1900 MHz.

“We’re rapidly executing on our vision to deliver the highest capacity network this country has ever seen,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “We’ve led in 5G coverage from the beginning, delivering a massive 5G footprint that continues to grow. And with Ultra Capacity 5G, it’s undeniable that T-Mobile customers have access to the most powerful 5G network around.”

As coverage expands, T-Mobile is also bringing in additional capacity for even faster speeds. The Un-carrier has now deployed 1900 MHz spectrum — another layer of mid-band 5G (the fast stuff) — nationwide. Using a highway analogy, the new layer of 5G spectrum adds lanes to the road so traffic can zoom. And for those who really want to go fast, the Un-carrier has begun lighting up three-carrier aggregation — combining three channels of mid-band 5G spectrum — which in tests produced peak speeds topping 3 Gbps on T-Mobile’s 5G standalone network. Customers with the Samsung Galaxy S22 are leveraging the capability in parts of the network now. Three-carrier aggregation will expand nationwide, and be accessible by additional devices, in the near future.

T-Mobile is the leader in 5G with the country’s largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network. Customers on other networks who want a better experience can try the country’s most-awarded 5G network now for free. With T-Mobile’s Network Pass, people with unlocked eSIM-compatible phones can experience T-Mobile for three months at no charge with unlimited smartphone data, including 5G. And when they’re ready to make the move to T-Mobile, they can switch in minutes right from their phone with Easy Switch.

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Why T-Mobile Standalone Ultra Capacity 5G is Important for Network Advancement

As of Monday November 14, T-Mobile has made Ultra Capacity 5G on 5G SA (Standalone) available nationwide. This bold move by the Un-Carrier just topped the charts for 5G advancement by offering even faster speeds and lower latency for customers. This can improve your gaming experience, as well as any application that requires near real-time responsiveness. 

The upgrade also opens up new possibilities for 5G carrier aggregation (NR CA), which means combining different layers of 5G spectrum together for greater speed and capacity. This year the carrier will begin combining three channels of Ultra Capacity 5G. According to tests, they were able to produce peak speeds topping 3 Gbps. Customers with the Samsung Galaxy S22 will be the first to leverage this new capability in the coming weeks, and it will expand to additional devices in the near future.

“5G is making a meaningful impact today – changing the way people use their smartphones, bringing choice and competition to home broadband, improving disaster response and so much more … but we’re only scratching the surface on what 5G can do,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “Transformative 5G networks are here, and T-Mobile is leading the charge with not just the largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network, but the most advanced as well. We’re driving the industry forward with 5G standalone and delivering a level of performance for customers that can’t be achieved otherwise.”

T-Mobile is the network leader, delivering a 5G network that is larger, faster and more reliable than any other in the US. The Un-carrier’s Extended Range 5G now covers 321 million people across 1.9 million square miles – more than AT&T and Verizon combined. 250 million people nationwide are covered by T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G, and the Un-carrier plans to reach 300 million people with Ultra Capacity next year.

As many reports have found, T-Mobile is the leader in delivering customers a 5G network that is larger, faster, and more reliable than the others available in the U.S. Their Extended Range (low-band 600 MHz spectrum) 5G now covers 321 million people across 1.9 million square miles, while 250 million people nationwide are covered by T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity 5G (2.5 GHz spectrum). The carrier plans to reach 300 million people with its Ultra Capacity 5G offering next year.

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