T‑Mobile Advances 5G Standalone to Deliver Faster Speeds and Enhanced Performance

March 1, 2023 | T-Mobile |

The Un‑carrier achieved the world’s first four‑carrier aggregation data call on a commercial device, combining four channels of mid‑band spectrum to hit peak speeds topping 3.3 Gbps

T‑Mobile expanded voice over 5G (VoNR) to four additional cities and plans to cover 100 million people with VoNR in the coming months

What’s the news: T-Mobile has aggregated four channels of mid-band spectrum on its 5G standalone (5G SA) network with the Samsung Galaxy S23, working with Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Samsung. The Un-carrier also expanded VoNR to four new cities: Cincinnati, OH; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; and Seattle, WA.

Why it matters: 5G SA is the future of wireless, delivering a whole new level of performance – faster speeds and lower latency (improved response times). 5G carrier aggregation allows T-Mobile to turbo-charge 5G SA speeds, giving T-Mobile customers a game-changing performance boost while VoNR ensures a seamless 5G SA connection.

Who it’s for: T-Mobile 5G customers nationwide.

The Un-carrier doesn’t stop at best. In a keynote at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, President of Technology Neville Ray explained how T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) is taking its nationwide 5G SA network — the only in the U.S. — to the next level. Ray announced that T-Mobile achieved the world’s first four-carrier aggregation data call on its 5G SA network with a commercial device, reaching speeds above 3.3 Gbps. Ray also unveiled the Un-carrier has deployed VoNR service in four additional cities and plans to cover 100 million people with VoNR in the coming months.

“We are working with industry leaders around the globe to move the 5G ecosystem forward for the benefit of wireless customers everywhere,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “With the most advanced 5G network in the world, T-Mobile is at the forefront of wireless innovation, spearheading new capabilities so we can continue raising the performance bar and enable future transformative applications that require a seamless and robust 5G connection.”

Four-Carrier Aggregation

5G carrier aggregation allows T-Mobile to combine multiple 5G channels (or carriers) to deliver greater speed and performance. In this test, the Un-carrier merged four 5G channels of mid-band spectrum – two channels of 2.5 GHz Ultra Capacity 5G and two channels of 1900 MHz spectrum – creating an effective 225 MHz 5G channel. That’s like taking four separate highways and turning them into a massive superhighway where traffic can zoom faster than before. Customers with the Samsung Galaxy S23 will be among the first to experience four-carrier aggregation later this year with more devices to follow.

VoNR

With VoNR, T-Mobile is moving voice traffic to 5G so customers stay consistently connected to 5G. In the near-term, customers connected to VoNR may notice slightly faster call set-up times, meaning less delay between the time they dial a number and when the phone starts ringing. But VoNR is about more than just a better calling experience. Most importantly, VoNR brings T-Mobile one step closer to truly unleashing its 5G SA network because it enables advanced capabilities like network slicing that rely on a continuous connection to a 5G core. Today VoNR is now live in six cities – Cincinnati, OH; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; and Seattle, WA – and the Un-carrier will expand this technology to additional cities covering more than 100 million people in the coming months.

T-Mobile is the leader in 5G, delivering the country’s largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network. The Un-carrier’s 5G network covers 325 million people across 1.9 million square miles – more than AT&T and Verizon combined. 265 million people nationwide are covered by T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G, and the Un-carrier plans to reach 300 million people with Ultra Capacity this year – nearly everyone in the country.

For more information on T-Mobile’s network, visit: https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/4g-lte-5g-networks.
Follow T-Mobile’s Official Twitter Newsroom @TMobileNews to stay up-to-date with the latest company news.

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Verizon provides drone support in a crisis

March 3rd, 2023  | Air Traffic Management|

Hurricane Ian is a recent example of how Verizon put drones into action in the face of a crisis. The support began with the need to provide situational awareness for the first responders. The drones which provide this support are equipped with video, speakers to interact with injured individuals, thermal imaging and infrared imaging to help identify the location of individuals that cannot be seen with the human eye.

Mapping applications help to provide a before and after view that allows public safety organisations to determine how to react. Photogrammetry is used to support this application. In this natural disaster, the cellular service was cut to Sanibel and Pine Islands. Tethered drones with small cell radio were able to ‘connect’ the individuals stranded in these locations with the outside world. Satellite connectivity also played a role in keeping people in these locations connected until cellular service could be fully restored.

Continue reading the full article HERE.

North Carolina Judge Says Cell Phones Not Subject to Federal Do-Not-Call Protections

February 27th, 2023  | Venable LLP |

Last week, a magistrate judge in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina dismissed a Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) lawsuit brought by a plaintiff who claimed calls made by an insurance lead generator to her cell phone number, which was registered on the national Do Not Call (DNC) registry, were unlawful. The decision takes a view contrary to that of at least one other district court in the Fourth Circuit, but sides with a district court in Texas in finding that the do not call prohibitions of the TCPA do not encompass cell phones.

Continue reading the full article HERE.

You Can Finally Spot Internet Coverage Gaps on FCC’s Broadband Maps

February 7th, 2023  | CNET | By David Lumb

Don’t know if your area has broadband internet or 5G yet? On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission released new broadband maps showing where high-speed internet access and mobile 5G service are available across the US.

The FCC’s prior coverage maps have been inaccurate, showing that Americans should have been able to get online with higher speeds when they weren’t actually covered by internet service providers. Or if they were, they were getting far below the 25Mbps download speed threshold that the FCC established for broadband internet. With these new maps, Americans can see internet speeds they can get at any street address in the country.

Continue reading the full article HERE.

ACLU, public defenders push back against Google giving police your mobile data

February 2nd, 2023  | Computer World | By Lucas Mearian

Geofence warrants that allow law enforcement to collect location data on mobile device users for criminal probes are under attack by civil rights groups and public defenders; they say the warrants are fishing expeditions that expose personal information.

Continue reading the full article HERE.