T-Mobile delays launch of 600 MHz element of its 5G network until second half of 2019

It appears that the U.S. branch of T-Mobile is delaying its 600 MHz 5G network launch until the second half of 2019, while development on the other bands is still due for the first half of this year. The delay is due to the lack of compatible devices according the the wireless carrier’s Chief Technology Officer in a Monday interview.

The hope was originally that phone makers would already be in a position to ship devices with 600-megahertz band support, Neville Ray explained in an interview with CNet. One of the first 5G phones, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, relies on higher-frequency bands that mostly limit it to AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.

T-Mobile is currently focusing on creating a 5G network on the lower band, given that the millimeter wave technology used by AT&T and Verizon has faster speeds, its range is short. T-Mobile has a small number of millimeter wave towers.

“You can’t go to a U.S. consumer and charge them a big premium and it works on three street corners,” Ray commented.

It’s also thought that rival carrier, Sprint, will also skip millimeter wave technology when it deploys its 5G network in May. The bandwidth is expected to hit speeds as high as 430 megabits per second. Sprint CEO Michel Combes said that if a merger with T-Mobile goes through, Sprint will be able to deploy 5G faster and with wider coverage. That deal faces opposition from parties concerned about shrinking competition in the U.S. telecoms industry.

Apple is thought to be holding back from 5G technology for now, as a 5G iPhone or iPad isn’t expected until 2020. While Apple has its own reasons for this, other causes for the delay include ongoing legal battles with Qualcomm, slow modem development at Intel, and the fact that general 5G coverage is expected to still be in its nascent stages when this fall’s iPhones are released.

Via AppleInsider and CNET