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T-Mobile's Faster 'Wideband' Upgrades Expand to Boston

T-Mobile continues to slowly but surely expand market availability for the company's "wideband" 15x15 MHz channel LTE upgrades, which should dramatically improve speeds in launch areas. According to a T-Mobile announcement, the company's latest launch market is Boston and the surrounding areas, including Springfield, Worcester as well as Providence and Warwick, Rhode Island. To hear T-Mobile tell it, most customers in upgraded markets should see a 50% speed boost, in some cases significantly higher.

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The upgrades, T-Mobile claims, are giving the company the speed crown over AT&T, Sprint and Verizon.

"Wideband LTE doubles the bandwidth and increases the capacity of T-Mobile’s LTE network to help deliver faster peak speeds," states the company. "It is like adding more lanes to a freeway for all LTE customers to speed along in. With T-Mobile’s Wideband LTE, customers can download a full 90 minute HD movie to their phone or tablet in three and half minutes or a whole album in just nine seconds with theoretical peak download speeds of 110 Mbps."

T-Mobile claims the average download speed in the Boston area is now 24.1 Mbps, which T-Mobile insists is "faster than AT&T, one and a half times faster than Verizon and two and half times faster than Sprint." While AT&T had been leading the pack in many LTE speed tests, many surveys have started to support T-Mobile's claim that they're taking the speed crown.

Including the Boston launch, T-Mobile now offers the faster wideband services in 22 markets (you can see a full list here). The company has previously announced the hope to reach 25 markets with the upgrades before the end of the year.
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IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

Impressive stuff....

Impressive stuff from T-Mobile.

Hey Sprint, I hope you have some more Spark markets to announce soon

Legere's looking like "The Godfather" in that picture.

TMOcoverage
@50.182.138.x

TMOcoverage

Anon

Re: Impressive stuff....

said by IPPlanMan:

Impressive stuff from T-Mobile.

Before jumping to TMO, I'd want to see their plans for selling off to some other company settled. TMO is good where there is dense coverage and pretty poor everywhere else. Who they sell to will determine if they ever have good coverage outside major cities.
whiteyonenh
join:2004-08-09
Keene, NH

whiteyonenh

Member

Meanwhile in SW NH

So, we're still EDGE/2G here, 70 miles from Springfield, MA and 90 miles from Boston. Funny how that works, upgrading places from 2G to 3G to 4G, before paying attention to the fact that you still have LOADS of 2G that hasn't been touched since it was installed in the Voicestream days. Oh well, I'll continue to enjoy my ATT service via Cricket
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72

Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

Well would you upgrade areas with low density or ones with high first. TMO has always been a metro carrier and that is where their user base is. I'm in the burbs and on the edge of 4G. Last year it was 2G. Go 1 mile north and it's still 2G, but they are updating slowly. My area has limited bandwidth (5x5), so I don't think TMO is every going to be rockin unless they get more spectrum.

I find it funny to think you would actually download a movie over cellular. That would cost you more than the actual content.

I think the "race" to speed it absolutely useless like most of the landline stuff out there. What they need is solid 2-3 Mbit/sec with low latency. That is what really matters to mobile today.

A responsive app/browser doesn't need 100 Mbit, it needs 15ms of latency. As for light video/music, that too doesn't need more than 3 mbit/sec.

I was "arguing" with folks who were complaining that Cricket caps LTE at 7-8 Mbit/sec versus AT&T "unlimited" and then I challenged them to come up w/ apps that needed more than 7-8 Mbit/sec and they couldn't find one except HD, which I explained that if they did that they would blow through their 2GB allotment in 1 hour.

In any case expansion of LTE or LTE-A is good for everyone...from a capacity perspective.

amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA

amarryat

Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

said by elefante72:

so I don't think TMO is every going to be rockin unless they get more spectrum

They have the spectrum. It's a matter of deploying it.

franklinn
@67.176.82.x

1 recommendation

franklinn to elefante72

Anon

to elefante72
said by elefante72:

I find it funny to think you would actually download a movie over cellular. That would cost you more than the actual content.

it actually works quite well if you have one of t-mobile unlimited plans. you are breaking the rules if tethering(beyond 5GB) but not if you download to the phones internal/external sd card and than transfer to computer or flash drive. i have friends without home internet who run HDMI from t-mobile smartphones to their TVs to watch netflix. all very reliably, even in big city downtown areas where verizon and at&t are congested and slow.

buddahbless
join:2005-03-21
Premium

buddahbless

Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

Very true, Same thing here I have a friend that switched from Verizon to TMO after Verizon hit him with a multi-hundred dollar data bill ( mostly hotspoting to a media player). He payed it off and switched and is saving big time over his Verizon plan. the Main thing he does is watch netfix & listen to pandora.

Comcast wont run service to him yet the subdivision Directly behind his property ( just a few 100 feet) has Xfinity service and Centurylink will only offer him a 768kbps package to his site. I showed him my nexus 5 connected to a slimport adapter on his big screen and he was sold. He Purchased a TMO Galaxy S5 and a micro usb to hdmi adapter and he couldn't be happier.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA

Premium Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

How about talking to some folks over there, and setting up a wireless link to connect to XFinity?

buddahbless
join:2005-03-21
Premium

buddahbless

Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

He actually contacted 2 of the closest neighbors a few yrs ago and even though he offered to pay half of there internet bill they did not want to share there broadband.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA

Premium Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

Wow, that sucks. Any others willing to share? Wireless can go miles. Either that, or one willing to let him open a separate Comcast account at their address to do it?
Freezone
join:2000-09-29
Southfield, MI

Freezone

Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

Get a freind to give him a comcast email then use xfinity wifi all over. I get wifi almost anywhere customers have a xfinity modem. i turned it off because tmobile is faster here.
itguy05
join:2005-06-17
Carlisle, PA

itguy05 to elefante72

Member

to elefante72
said by elefante72:

I think the "race" to speed it absolutely useless like most of the landline stuff out there. What they need is solid 2-3 Mbit/sec with low latency. That is what really matters to mobile today.

It's called the race to sleep. It's better to serve your phone the data as quick as possible, getting you on and off the network as quick as possible. Saves cell capacity and battery life on the UE.
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

silbaco

Premium Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

The problem with that is people often times feel the need to download more as their connection speed increases. So that doesn't always work as well in practice as it does in theory. Especially if the carrier has a lot of unlimited customers.
davidhoffman
Premium Member
join:2009-11-19
Warner Robins, GA

davidhoffman

Premium Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

Yes, one of the reasons why the cellular carriers are constantly seeking to get rid of unlimited plans.

MovieLover76
join:2009-09-11
Cherry Hill, NJ
(Software) pfSense
Asus RT-AC68
Asus RT-AC66

1 edit

MovieLover76 to elefante72

Member

to elefante72
I was with you until you mentioned cricket
you say latency matters and then bring up cricket wireless?
they and all of the AT&T mvno's have 2 to 3 times slower response time that AT&T proper and GoPhone.

My problem with cricket and all other AT&T mvno's is latency and that's why I'm on MetroPCS. 30 - 40ms latency 20mbps average, no caps
But I know T-mobile coverage isn't for everyone.

If cricket was throttled to 8mbps on LTE and 4mbps on HSPA, but with normal LTE latency I might actually use cricket, but the latency kills that carrier and all other AT&T mvno's
buckweet1980
join:2011-12-31
Saint Petersburg, FL

buckweet1980

Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

I'm on Att (work phone) and my wife is on cricket now, both with lte phones. There is no additional latency that we can see here in Dallas. The speeds are the same, so is the coverage.

She originally joined when it was AIO so I don't know if that has anything to do with it though..

Pinewold
@209.6.16.x

Pinewold to elefante72

Anon

to elefante72
If we made a law that everybody must be upgraded before executives could get their huge bonuses, everyone would be upgraded in a year.

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

1 recommendation

IPPlanMan to whiteyonenh

Member

to whiteyonenh
T-Mobile is supposed to substantially complete replacing its 2G with LTE by Mid-2015.

»newsroom.t-mobile.com/is ··· dule.htm
"We're now on track to cover 280 million people with 4G LTE by mid-2015, and, I'm telling you today, we expect to hit the 300 million mark by the end of 2015."

From earlier this year:
»newsroom.t-mobile.com/ne ··· gram.htm
"......T-Mobile is now kicking off a major new program to upgrade its 2G/EDGE network with 4G LTE. The company plans to complete 50 percent of the work this year alone, and expects the program to be substantially complete by the middle of next year."

T-Mobile has a history of running ahead of schedule. It's coming sooner than you think.
sonicmerlin
join:2009-05-24
Cleveland, OH

sonicmerlin

Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

They're not upgrading the antennas though so there will be islands of 4G separated by 2G.

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

As I understand it from their release, 2G will be completely overlaid by 4G LTE.

buddahbless
join:2005-03-21
Premium

buddahbless to whiteyonenh

Member

to whiteyonenh
Its coming to a tower near you, slowly but surely. My snowbird residence in the suburbs of Ocala FL ( a city 60 miles north of Orlando) last year only had HSPA when I left in march 9.5 mbps up/ 2.5 mbps down. Now sometime with in the year they have upgraded the area to LTE. I have speed test coming back now in the 31 mbps down, 10 mbps up.

atuarre
Here come the drums
Premium Member
join:2004-02-14
EC/SETX SWLA

atuarre to whiteyonenh

Premium Member

to whiteyonenh
If you do get upgraded, you'll be upgraded from 2G to 4G. So if you lose coverage you all back to 2G. If they haven't upgraded you to 3G already you won't get 3G. That is how it is here. In the city there is 4G but as soon as you leave the city limits it drops to 2G.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA to whiteyonenh

Premium Member

to whiteyonenh
Yeah, same here in CT, between NYC and Boston. It's ridiculous!

buddahbless
join:2005-03-21
Premium

1 recommendation

buddahbless

Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

True but T-mobile's plan was laid out months ago. First to push as much LTE coverage as they can and hopefully have full native coverage by mid 2015, but because there are still a good number of people on basic GSM/ 2G Phone there waiting until the LTE rollout is over to go back and refarm those 2G areas to HSPA.

I know your frustration Going to Orlando from Ocala by the tollway its full 4G/LTE coverage taking local roads for the same trip there's a lot of 2G and even GPRS areas. However as I said its coming slowly but surely.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA

Premium Member

Re: Meanwhile in SW NH

I'll believe it when I see it, and they still have large no coverage holes where the big two have rock solid LTE. They have GSM still running in urban areas, so keeping a small amount going in more suburban/rural areas shouldn't be a spectrum issue.
xthepeoplesx
join:2013-10-21

xthepeoplesx

Member

Fixed LTE?!?

I still think the next advancement for these wireless companies will come when they expand their customer footprint by providing unlimited fixed LTE. Why has this not been done yet?!? I can get 40mbps/20mbps speeds from them at the back of my property but not at the house. I would extended that connection wirelessly the minute they let me use a legal unlimited tether on it.

amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA

amarryat

Member

Re: Fixed LTE?!?

said by xthepeoplesx:

unlimited fixed LTE. Why has this not been done yet?!?

With the possible exception of Sprint, none of the providers have enough spectrum to do this with a large number of people

franklinn
@50.243.146.x

franklinn to xthepeoplesx

Anon

to xthepeoplesx
said by xthepeoplesx:

I still think the next advancement for these wireless companies will come when they expand their customer footprint by providing unlimited fixed LTE. Why has this not been done yet?!? I can get 40mbps/20mbps speeds from them at the back of my property but not at the house. I would extended that connection wirelessly the minute they let me use a legal unlimited tether on it.

if the network has the bandwidth to handle heavy/unlimited usage than why limit things to fixed wireless instead allowing mobility? cord cutting will come to broadband just as it has to voice.
davidhoffman
Premium Member
join:2009-11-19
Warner Robins, GA

davidhoffman to xthepeoplesx

Premium Member

to xthepeoplesx
Problems with providing indoor service reliably. Read any cellular TOS and you will find a statement about coverage maps only applying to outdoor use at about 1 meter above ground. Or something like that. To do indoor coverage reliably may require extensive antennas, amplifiers, and cabling. Profit margin too low or potential losses too big for many carriers to try.
evo7
join:2009-01-03
Audubon, NJ

evo7

Member

Still slow with 15mhz

I am work right now and we have the 15mhz T-Mobile LTE in this area, I just ran a speed test with -68 dbM and got 17.17 Mbps down and 6.34 Mbps up.

amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA

amarryat

Member

Re: Still slow with 15mhz

said by evo7:

I am work right now and we have the 15mhz T-Mobile LTE in this area, I just ran a speed test with -68 dbM and got 17.17 Mbps down and 6.34 Mbps up.

Could be that the backhaul hasn't been upgraded

jseymour
join:2009-12-11
Waterford, MI

jseymour to evo7

Member

to evo7
I just got 29/2 with a 28ms ping here at work.
clone (banned)
join:2000-12-11
Portage, IN

clone (banned) to evo7

Member

to evo7
17Mbps download speed over a cellular connection is slow...?

Is it time for me to start yelling at kids to get off my lawn, too?
sonicmerlin
join:2009-05-24
Cleveland, OH

sonicmerlin

Member

Re: Still slow with 15mhz

Seriously it was only few years ago when ppl would have been happy with a few Mbps.

cybah
join:2000-03-09
MA

cybah

Member

Wow

Unfortunately, I am still on a 4G phone (No LTE yet), so I doubt this will improve the service issues i've had with T-Mobile in my town (Chelsea, MA)

Maybe its time for an upgrade? (since I still have a three year old phone..)
jm101
join:2011-07-17
Oakland, CA
ARRIS BGW210-700
Ubiquiti UDM-Pro
Ubiquiti UniFi UAP-AC-PRO

jm101

Member

Re: Wow

said by cybah:

Unfortunately, I am still on a 4G phone (No LTE yet), so I doubt this will improve the service issues i've had with T-Mobile in my town (Chelsea, MA)

Maybe its time for an upgrade? (since I still have a three year old phone..)

Sounds like HSPA. I am lucky to get 7 or 8 Mbps on my HSPA phone. Hoping to get an LTE phone soon.
djeremy
join:2004-07-12
San Francisco, CA

djeremy

Member

Wideband is fast

Click for full size
Click for full size
I can usually pull between 40-60mb in the Bay Area, and was able to get 60-90mb just about everywhere in Atlanta. When I was in Seattle a couple of weeks ago, I could consistently pull 100mb everywhere I was. Crazy having those speeds on your phone.
jm101
join:2011-07-17
Oakland, CA
ARRIS BGW210-700
Ubiquiti UDM-Pro
Ubiquiti UniFi UAP-AC-PRO

jm101

Member

Re: Wideband is fast

said by djeremy:

I can usually pull between 40-60mb in the Bay Area, and was able to get 60-90mb just about everywhere in Atlanta. When I was in Seattle a couple of weeks ago, I could consistently pull 100mb everywhere I was. Crazy having those speeds on your phone.

Amazing speeds. I doubt I will see those on the $30/month plan though.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
Netgear WNDR3700v2
Zoom 5341J

KrK

Premium Member

T-mobile has actually become one of my "more favorite" companies...

... are they perfect? No....

.... but they've provided me good service for fair money, and I've been with them now for 3 years, and they have delivered as promised, and that's all I really expect.

Do what you say, don't rip me off or cheat me, and I'm quite the loyal consumer, it appears.

atuarre
Here come the drums
Premium Member
join:2004-02-14
EC/SETX SWLA

atuarre

Premium Member

RE

Anyone who doesn't realize that when T-Mobile doesn't finally does get its financial house in order or gets "acquired" will do away with unlimited plans is a fool.

•••

westpalm
@73.46.130.x

westpalm

Anon

t-mobile 15mhz active in Palm Beach County as of last two weeks

I've been getting the 15mhz setup on my galaxy s5 for the last two weeks here in palm beach county.

inwestpalm
@73.46.130.x

inwestpalm

Anon

15mhz channels active in palm beach county for the last two weeks

while not listed as one of the areas, palm beach county has been getting the 15mhz lte channel for the past two weeks.

MSauk
MSauk
Premium Member
join:2002-01-17
Sandy, UT

MSauk

Premium Member

When I was in Portland

When I was in portland and this went active it was pretty amazing! I went from 12 down to close to 50 down and 20 up. Hope they will get SLC active soon.
floydb1982
join:2004-08-25
Kent, WA

floydb1982

Member

They could bankrupt Sprint

If T-Mobile plays it's cards right in this wideband network upgrade they could completely once and for all bankrupt Sprint completely. Sprint has the world's shittiest network.

•••