Dec 2, 2019 - Technology

T-Mobile launches nationwide 5G

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Photo Illustration: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

T-Mobile is officially debuting its nationwide 5G service today using its 600 MHz spectrum.

Why it matters: The move allows T-Mobile to claim the broadest 5G coverage, even if that frequency doesn't give the kind of ultra-fast speeds possible using millimeter wave frequencies.

Be smart: High frequency bands, like millimeter wave, can carry data much faster, but only over short distances; lower frequencies can't carry data as fast, but travel farther and pass more easily through walls and other obstacles.

  • T-Mobile also announced the first two devices that will run on the network: the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G.

The big picture: T-Mobile, like other carriers, is also slowly building out high-speed 5G in select metro areas, beginning with parts of six cities launched earlier this year.

Go deeper: 5G is off to a slow start

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