T-Mobile is covering 312million customers in the US but there are 324million people in the US??? Can someone explain this to me? How much are the other carriers covering then?
T-Mobile is covering about 311-312 million people. Verizon and AT&T are around 315-318 million people I believe. The difference between the last 4-7 million or so people is a LOT though, because those last 4-7 million are very scattered and far apart. Lots more square mileage between the carriers than it seems.
400 Mbps seems like overkill for streaming 480p video...
It's more about capacity than raw speeds. If 400mbps is able to be achieved using the same amount of spectrum, that's 400mbps everybody can share rather than 300mbps for example.
I have T-Mobile in Dallas, and switched after Verizon said "No, we won't let you buy an iPhone 6 because you're one week shy of some ********." I even did the T-Mobile test drive and periodically did tests with my Verizon iPhone 5S and the T-Mobile 5S.
Without exception, T-Mobile had a faster SpeedTest score and general "real life" perception of speed, EVEN IF it had less bars. Hell, T-Mobile's 4G was faster than Verizon's LTE a number of times I tested it. Their customer service has been exceptional, but I will caveat and say that their reception inside large buildings is... Less good. Good thing I rarely make any actual phone calls.
Not to mention T-Mobile let me use data while on a call... (Not sure if Verizon has joined the 21st Century yet)
What iPhone are you currently using? That 5s still? The 5s doesn't support band 12, which is T-Mobile's "far reaching" LTE band that also penetrates buildings much better. It operates within similar frequencies as Verizon and AT&T's band 13 and 17 respectively that are known for their great coverage and in building reception.
The only Apple devices that support band 12 are the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, and iPad Pro 9.7.
Verizon has VoLTE now... So you can talk on LTE with improved voice quality and use LTE at the same time for data. This is an iPhone 6 and newer feature... So once again if you're using a 5s you're missing out due to old hardware.
Fingers crossed the Apple uses the X12 or another modem that is capable of this.
I recently switched to T-Mobile and my coverage is terrible! It would be a welcome improvement if things load a little faster before I lose signal.
I don't think Apple typically discloses these things though, do they? Will we have to wait for a breakdown before we know what kind of modem it has?
It doesn't matter what modem the device has, the device needs to have a 4x4 MIMO antenna setup first. The antennas and the modem are separate things. The antenna actually picks up on the frequencies, pulls in and sends out information, while the modem processes all that and allows your device to actually use the service I believe.
T-Mobile leases towers from Verizon and AT&T. Following the collapse of the AT&T and T-Mobile merger, T-Mobile divested it's network real estate (antenna)s to CrownCastle, and AT&T sold their towers to CrownCastle also. Verizon sold their towers to American Tower.
In most situations (like 95% of the time) AT&T and Verizon provide connectivity and Fiber to the towers they own. So when T-Mobile pays a lease to a tower, it still relies on Verizon or AT&T landline service to connect the equipment to the network.
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Well, T-Mobile is at it again. Remember, they are a "Re-Carrier now, and if you've seen the past, ads, they look familiar. First, they are using the same "Re-Carrier" advertising strategy.
Here's how it works-- they'll advertise a new service and how it's better than a competitors, even when they haven't tested it; and remain ranked #4 (out of 4 companies) in coverage and service according to RootMetrics.
So here, you might get lucky and get 450MB speeds for a short time, but like clockwork, they'll start telling customers they need to upgrade. Two things happen.
Part 1- 1.) T-Mobile will also change the plan and how it's billed. (Look at Rate plans with "Unlimited" data; but then T-Mobile raised rates and Re-Advertised the terms of their service; changed how T-Mobile bills for video; and not Net-Neutrality Compliant with a plan called "Binge On".)
Part 2- Other people will upgrade and begin to use the service in your area. You won't get the advertised speed once one other person in your area upgrades. As an early adopter, take a picture of the speeds you had during that first week. This way, you can fondly look back at that speed test as you continue your 2-year contract term. Also you could post "SpeedTest" results online so T-Mobile they can get even more customers on the network.
Logically though... The engineering needs to get done. In order to get coverage and speed to the tower via landline fiber. In most parts of the US where T-Mobile leases space on Verizon's antenna structure, Verizon (or AT&T Landlines) has to bring fiber optic lines to the tower. So AT&T and Verizon will likely have the faster speed first. T-Mobile likes to advertise placing the cart before the horse, I guess.
Another problem T-Mobile has is the spectrum position and amount of airwaves. Verizon also has 800% more cellular airwaves, which travel "up to 4-times farther" than what T-Mobile advertises as LTE Extended Range service (Band 12). Having access to a larger amount of airwaves is important if you want coverage over wider distances and for more people (capacity). T-Mobile wants to increse their ad budget instead of providing service.
Either way, it's shady marketing T-Mobile uses. But it must be legal in the country Neville Ray is from. I believe he's still on a Green Card and not a US citizen and may not know about US's strict truth-in-advertising laws. That's probably why it's on a blog post. This is exactly what a "Re-Carrier" does.
Did you know Verizon paid RootMetrics to give them a favorable score? That is way more shady than anything you spoke of. And all the other carriers do those sketchy things you listed too.
Also, that's not how airwaves work at all. First of all, T-Mobile's Band 12 is in the 700mhz range (which means it travels far and through buildings better than higher frequencies). You know what Verizon's far reaching band 13 operates at? ~700mhz.
Carriers don't pay to buy more airwaves so it travels faster, they purchase a very specific airwave (or frequency) to operate on, and also how much room they can use on that particular frequency (capacity). More room (capacity) translates to higher speeds and more people able to use the network without it being slowed to a halt.
Just because a carrier owns more spectrum, doesn't mean it will travel farther... More spectrum means higher speeds. The frequency that actually is being operated at is what influences coverage.
Think of it this way, AT&T owns spectrum in bands 2, 4, 5, 17, 29, and 30. T-Mobile owns spectrum in bands 2, 4 and 12. Each particular band only travels X amount, and will have to be picked up individually by the handset. Now, say AT&T owns more band 4 in a certain area. A 20+20 chunk. That will give speeds of 150mbps. T-Mobile owns a 15+15 chunk of band 4 (capable of speeds of 112.5mbps) and operates at the same exact place, on the exact same tower as AT&T. Each carrier's chunk of band 4 LTE will travel the same distance, it's just that AT&T owns more capacity, so it will provide higher speeds.
And again, number 4? T-Mobile is not number 4. Sprint is number 4. In terms of earnings, coverage, everything pretty much. Sprint covers like 800,000 square miles with LTE, T-Mobile covers about 1,400,000 square miles with LTE.
