Newsletter
Starting last month T-Mobile has begun activating its 2.5GHz 5G spectrum which is great news for its customers. T-mobile users have benefited due to network improvements and higher 5G download speeds. Due to the $304 million that T-Mobile paid, that not only covers every US state but, almost every county in the country.
However, this is not to say that the rollout of the 2.5GHz 5G by T-Mobile is great for everyone, as competitors such as Bloosurf are complaining about issues. The interference faced by Bloosurf is so significant that it has reached out to the FCC to take action against T-Mobile’s 5G. To be specific, it wants the 2.5GHz spectrum licenses of T-Mobile frozen.
Redzone and NextWave want FCC to take action against T-Mobile’s 5G
Since T-Mobile began activating its 2.5GHz 5G spectrum competitors have been complaining about it interfering with their network. Bloosurf was the first to complain directly to the FCC to get its license frozen. After this initiative by Bloosurf two other service providers, Redzone and NextWave, have also started complaining publicly.
Jim McKenna, the CEO of Redzon, said he knew it would be paramount that his company and T-Mobile work together after the latter bought 2.5GHz spectrum in 2022 to avoid any potential interference. However, T-Mobile never replied to its four attempts at communicating and launched its 5G network immediately after it got the OK from the FCC.
The sudden launch without any preparations by Redzone cost it significantly as its customers started facing drops in connections. Some customers apparently left Redzone because of the importance of having a stable network. McKenna still hopes that T-Mobile will communicate or he will have no choice but to complain to the FCC or file a lawsuit.
NextWave also wants the FCC to take action as the T-Mobile 2.5GHz spectrum has affected its services in its primary city of New York. The company is building 2.5GHz networks in other cities and has noticed the same interference in those cities.
While these complaints are worthy of attention, they have not slowed the pace at which T-Mobile is buying 2.5GHz licenses. It has filed for FCC permission to acquire additional 2.5GHz licenses in California, Louisiana, Kentucky, New York, and North Carolina. T-Mobile’s current pace and plan is a positive thing for it and its customers and competitors are collateral damage.