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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
T-Mobile made a series of moves Wednesday aiming to show both the strength of its 5G network and that it hasn't lost its competitive spirit. Specifically, the carrier announced the launch of its home broadband replacement service as well as offers to lure new and existing customers with free and discounted 5G phones.
Why it matters: T-Mobile has some key advantages in 5G, thanks in large part to the 2.5 GHz spectrum it acquired with its Sprint purchase. That mid-band spectrum offers a mix of high speeds and decent coverage that, at least for now, AT&T and Verizon can't match.
Driving the news: T-Mobile's home broadband service, which uses 5G cellular technology, offers average speeds of around 100 megabits per second for $60 per month and will initially be available in 30 million homes.
- The company is also pushing deeper into rural areas, with plans to open hundreds of stores in smaller markets and also hire 2,500 individual workers in markets not large enough to support a full retail store. Already 1,000 of those jobs are posted, T-Mobile said.
- On the cell service side, T-Mobile launched a series of promotions offering free or discounted 5G phones, even when trading in an ancient iPhone or Android device. It is also giving those on limited data plans at AT&T and Verizon the chance to get unlimited data at T-Mobile for the same or lower price.