T-Mobile Completes Merger With Sprint, Promises 'Transformational' 5G Network

[MacRumors]

T-Mobile today announced that it has completed its merger with Sprint, with the merged company to operate under the T-Mobile brand. Effective immediately, T-Mobile's former COO Mike Sievert will assume the role of CEO, with John Legere stepping down.

T-Mobile said it plans to focus on creating a "transformational" nationwide 5G network. Within six years, the carrier promises to provide 5G to 99 percent of the U.S. population and average 5G speeds in excess of 100 Mbps to 90 percent of the U.S. population. T-Mobile also plans to provide 90 percent of rural Americans with average 5G speeds of 50 Mbps.

The "new" T-Mobile has committed to delivering the same or better rate plans for at least three years, including access to 5G. Rate plans are not changing today.

For now, the merged company says all customers will stay with the same Sprint and T-Mobile network, stores, and service they have been using. Over time, Sprint assets will simply begin to be rebranded as T-Mobile.

Article Link: T-Mobile Completes Merger With Sprint, Promises 'Transformational' 5G Network

 

[mrow]

The question I have is when will I, as a T-Mobile customer, get access to Sprint’s existing network?

 

[MacLawyer]

John Legere can now start to wean himself off Red Bull. 😂

 

[yaxomoxay]

Will miss John Legere. Hopefully this won't impact their great customer service.

 

[bartszyszka]

Can you explain this:

For now, the merged company says all customers will stay with the same Sprint and T-Mobile network, stores, and service they have been using.

Are they saying that former Sprint customers will only be connecting to Sprint antennas and former non-Sprint T-Mobile customers will only be connecting to those T-Mobile antennas? I assumed after the merger it wouldn't take long for both sets of customers to be connecting to a combined network.

 

[gsmornot]

The question I have is when will I, as a T-Mobile customer, get access to Sprint’s existing network?

If you want it on your T-Mobile phone, I would say in 3-5 years. It will take a while since the two carries use different technologies. The purpose of this is spectrum and will take quite some time to convert it all and wind down the Sprint users or get them onto GSM devices from eh CDMA devices they use now. Assuming that will be the plan anyhow.

 

[xxray]

I’m excited to see how their network will be after they merge and implement 5G.

 

[bartszyszka]

If you want it on your T-Mobile phone, I would say in 3-5 years. It will take a while since the two carries use different technologies. The purpose of this is spectrum and will take quite some time to convert it all and wind down the Sprint users or get them onto GSM devices from eh CDMA devices they use now. Assuming that will be the plan anyhow.

Aren't most people on phones that can do both, though? iPhones, Pixels, Samsung Galaxy phones support both GSM and CDMA. And doesn't it matter less for LTE connections?

 

[BuffaloTF]

If you want it on your T-Mobile phone, I would say in 3-5 years. It will take a while since the two carries use different technologies. The purpose of this is spectrum and will take quite some time to convert it all and wind down the Sprint users or get them onto GSM devices from eh CDMA devices they use now. Assuming that will be the plan anyhow.

No they do not use different technologies. They're both LTE. GSM is long dead- replaced by W-CDMA/UMTS; CDMA gets its plug pulled at the end of the year. It's a firmware update, and could be done today. Sprint is already 'roaming' on T-Mobile. Android phones are trickier than iPhones because they're purpose-built to the carriers frequency bands. iPhones could effectively use the full breadth of both immediately.

 

[oneMadRssn]

If you want it on your T-Mobile phone, I would say in 3-5 years. It will take a while since the two carries use different technologies. The purpose of this is spectrum and will take quite some time to convert it all and wind down the Sprint users or get them onto GSM devices from eh CDMA devices they use now. Assuming that will be the plan anyhow.

This is incorrect. Both TMobile and Sprint have plenty of LTE coverage with VoLTE. To the extent a user requires the old 2G GSM/CDMA networks, most iPhones and Android phones from the past half decade are world phones capable of connecting to both GMS and CDMA across almost all available bands.

It might take a bit to merge their two systems, but once the work is done on the backend, there is nothing preventing current devices from seeing a benefit. And that merging should take months, not years, if prioritized.

 

[nylonsteel]

sorta glad i dont deal with these 2 carriers anymore

 

[ajthom90]

T-Mobile just spent almost another billion dollars on 37-47GHz spectrum in the most recent auction that ended early March. They also spent almost 8 billion on 600MHz in an auction a couple years ago. They have really tried to upgrade their network. Sprint customers will benefit a lot by being able to connect to T-Mobile's vastly improved network.

 

[calzon65]

Six years to deploy 5G to that many Americans ... its wishful thinking to appease government officials and the public.

 

[Kabeyun]

Not a lot of yellow in that graphic already, heh....

 

[kyleh22]

I used to have ATT and recently switched to T-mobile. my indoor experience with T-mobile has been pretty poor. Their signal doesn't do a good job penetrating buildings. I also noticed my speed to be much lower than ATT. <10Mbps compared to >35Mbps with ATT. My speeds were in the DC area.
[automerge]1585754883[/automerge]

 

[lunarworks]

The question I have is when will I, as a T-Mobile customer, get access to Sprint’s existing network?

If it's anything like when Rogers (CDMA) merged with Fido (GSM) in Canada, you will but it won't be immediate.

 

[FHoff]

If you want it on your T-Mobile phone, I would say in 3-5 years. It will take a while since the two carries use different technologies. The purpose of this is spectrum and will take quite some time to convert it all and wind down the Sprint users or get them onto GSM devices from eh CDMA devices they use now. Assuming that will be the plan anyhow.

What nonsense

 

[aggiefather]

First, I wish T-Mobile would fix the "no service" zone in the business district of my town (population: 12,000). I also don't have service at my workplace on the edge of town.

 

[NervousNellie]

Unimaginative branding, missed the opportunity to be
T-Sprint
Sprint-T
MobSpri
Sprintobile
or any other new combo ...

 

[jerryk]

And then there were 3. How long before we are down to AT&T and Verizon?

 

[bpeeps]

Unimaginative branding, missed the opportunity to be
T-Sprint
Sprint-T
MobSpri
Sprintobile
or any other new combo ...

None of these names are particularly interesting or funny.

 

[Porco]

Unimaginative branding, missed the opportunity to be
T-Sprint
Sprint-T
MobSpri
Sprintobile
or any other new combo ...

They could have been MoST-inert blip

 

[bgalakazam]

The speeds are so u realistic. When I was back in the states the 4G speeda on Tmobile never exceeded 30mbit and thats at midnight wirh nobody around. Through the day average was 5-6Mbit. That is 3G speeds... They need to fix 4G speeds prior to moving on faster theoretical speeds.
and get them 10€/mo European plans. No way I am paying $50-$70 PER LINE , be it 6g 7g or whatever meme speed they post.

United States's Mobile and Broadband Internet Speeds - Speedtest Global Index

United States ranked 13th in the world for mobile speeds and 5th for fixed broadband speeds during July 2024.

www.speedtest.net

 

[tt061282]

And then there were 3. How long before we are down to AT&T and Verizon?

I’m not so sure this will ever happen. Considering that technically for this to happen Dish has to buy Boost and now Boost (😂) is the 4th major carrier (LOL I can’t believe I just said that). Anyway, it’s possible I guess , but “Technically” we still have 4 “major” carriers.

I know what you’re thinking and it’s true, but technically speaking Boost is the 4th carrier now lol.

 

[NervousNellie]

None of these names are particularly interesting or funny.

As compared to the side-splitting, attention-grabbing “T-Mobile”?