T-Mobile's 'Ultra Capacity' 5G Now Covers 200 Million People

T-Mobile today announced that its high-speed "Ultra Capacity 5G" is now available to 200 million people across the United States, with the carrier hitting the milestone weeks ahead of schedule.

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Ultra Capacity 5G is T-Mobile's higher-speed 5G network that's faster than the Extended Range 5G network that covers 308 million T-Mobile customers. While Extended Range 5G offers LTE-like speeds, Ultra Capacity 5G is more capable.

T-Mobile initially planned to cover 200 million people by the end of 2021, and has met that goal early. As noted by The Verge, this is a theoretical maximum based on the coverage that T-Mobile offers. In reality, T-Mobile has just over 100 million subscribers, not all of whom will be able to access the 5G speeds due to location or device limitations.

T-Mobile's Ultra Capacity 5G largely relies on mid-band 2.5GHz spectrum rather than the mmWave 5G spectrum used by other carriers like AT&T and Verizon. As T-Mobile explains in the press release announcing the coverage, the company aimed for mid-band spectrum to bring 5G speeds to the maximum number of people, and T-Mobile has been rolling out the 2.5GHz spectrum since it acquired Sprint.

Faster mmWave 5G speeds from AT&T and Verizon are largely limited to select areas in major cities, though both carriers have slower sub-6GHz 5G coverage available as well. AT&T and Verizon were planning on rolling out mid-band spectrum starting this year, but their plans have been delayed due to the FAA's concerns about aircraft interference.

T-Mobile's focus on mid-band spectrum is the reason why T-Mobile was the fastest 5G carrier in the United States in PCMag's annual test. T-Mobile's wider coverage allowed the carrier to achieve the highest average speeds of 162.3Mb/s, beating out AT&T and Verizon. Verizon had the fastest speeds overall, but its coverage was much more limited due to the current lack of mid-band spectrum and the limited availability of its mmWave speeds.

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Top Rated Comments

colbertnation Avatar
51 months ago
On iPhone 13 Pro, and the latency (is that the correct word for the time it takes for the Internet connection to be established?) I have with T-Mobile 5G/5G UC is insane.

It takes several seconds to start an internet connection it seems. A simple Google search or Weather app update can take several seconds for data to be received/refreshed. Once it has connected, it's fast. But very unstable... what's the point when I have to force it to go into LTE for a slower but at least stable connection?

(and yes, tried resetting, calling T-mobile, turning off/on, etc.)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chrjy Avatar
51 months ago
I always see these type of figures from networks ever since 3G rolled out so how come I rarely see this milestone no matter where I go? And if I do come across it, it's like 1 bar and so I have to try and find myself the lower version which is 4-5 bars and way quicker! It's been the same with 3G, 4G and now 5G.....:rolleyes:
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tigres Avatar
51 months ago
Been overly impressed with T-Mobile for years now. In SW Florida I consistently get >400 Mps down, faster than my home wifi. 175 for 4 lines and all in with free this and that, how can one complain.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Acidsplat Avatar
51 months ago
I switched from T-Mobile to Verizon because the coverage in West Hollywood was so garbage
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
51 months ago
Ultra Capacity 5G is T-Mobile's higher-speed 5G network that's faster than the Extended Range 5G network that covers 308 million T-Mobile customers.
I'm confused. The US supposedly has about 350 million people. How can T-Mobile have 308 million customers? Or is that just worded strangely? The article goes on to say that in actuality T-Mobile has closer to 100 million customers.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BornAgainMac Avatar
51 months ago
Was there any truth about 5G not being safe? Heard about it a few years ago but I have heard nothing and my area is full of 5G gamma rays.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)