The Un-carrier has been amping things up and making some extensive network preparations for the upcoming Republican National Convention (July 18-21) in Cleveland and the Democratic National Convention (July 25-28) in Philadelphia. For several weeks, we’ve been hard at work for our customers re-allocating more spectrum for LTE coverage, improving fiber connections to our cell sites, upgrading distributed antenna systems and installing optimized equipment in dozens of locations.
All of this builds on years of unprecedented LTE coverage expansion. Over the past two years, T-Mobile has remained America’s Fastest 4G LTE network according to crowd-sourced speed tests from both OpenSignal and Ookla. Just last year, we added more than 1 million square miles of LTE coverage, and T-Mobile now covers 309 million Americans with LTE. We’ve launched Extended Range LTE – which carries signals 2x farther from the tower and works 4x in buildings better than before – in over 340 metro areas.
What’s up with Cleveland?
Like LeBron, we’re rocking in Cleveland! We’ll be ready for the July stampede of elephants for the Republican National Convention.
- We already have the fastest LTE network in Cleveland and have been bringing blazing-fast LTE speeds across Ohio. According to Q2 2016 data from Ookla:
- T-Mobile averages approximately 29 Mbps downloads, compared to Verizon at 23 Mbps, AT&T at 20 Mbps and Sprint at 17 Mbps.
- T-Mobile LTE speeds improved by 31% in Cleveland, 38% in Columbus and 11% in Cincinnati during that time.
- But it isn’t just about speed. Our LTE coverage in Ohio has gotten a lot bigger and now blankets 91% of the state, and we’ve gone from zero Extended Range LTE coverage in Q4 2014 to covering over half the state in just 16 months.
- In the last nine months, we’ve expanded coverage or added completely new LTE coverage in even more places in Ohio, including:
- Attractions and destinations where people gather like Ashland University, Bradner Park, Crawford County Fairgrounds, East Fork State Park, Hocking Hills State Park, Indian Lake State Park, Lake Waynoka, Marietta College, Memorial Park, Mohican State Park, Muskingum College, Pleasant Hill Lake, Riverview Memory Gardens, Rocky Fork State Park and Shrine Park.
- Communities like Bryan, Carey, Greenfield, Millersburg, Peebles, Van Wert and many more.
Specifically for the Republican National Convention, we’re adding more LTE speed and capacity by:
- Re-allocating more mid-band spectrum away from HSPA+ towards LTE in the downtown area.
- Upgrading Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) with optimized LTE antennas, better backhaul, and newer equipment at the Convention Center, the Hilton Hotel at the Convention Center, the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Quicken Loans Arena and Progressive Field.
- Installing a temporary Cell on Wheels site (COW) to boost coverage at both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center (where Opening Night is taking place).
- Adding a new cell site at the Cleveland Public Auditorium.
What’s up with Philly?
Quite a few donkeys will be seeing magenta – and incredible coverage – at the Democratic National Convention in July, and T-Mobile’s network is ready.
- We already have the fastest LTE network in Philadelphia. According to Q2 2016 data from Ookla, T-Mobile averages download speeds of 20 Mbps compared to Verizon at 20 Mbps, AT&T at 17 Mbps and Sprint at 13 Mbps.
- And, we’ve already dramatically upgraded our network in Philly over the last year by:
- Improving fiber connections to our cell sites across the city and
- Adding new outdoor DAS systems from City Hall up the Ben Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Art Museum.
- In fact, we already know T-Mobile’s network in Philly can handle big time demands. When the Pope came to town last year:
- T-Mobile was the #1 fastest LTE network in Philly during the Pope’s Sunday Closing Mass, beating out both AT&T and Verizon – and more than doubling Sprint’s average download speeds when it mattered the most, even while our customers’ usage on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat doubled.
- Our VoLTE calls even jumped 700% during the Pope’s visit without the network breaking a sweat.
- Over the past nine months, T-Mobile has also brought LTE improvements or new LTE coverage to hundreds of towns and cities across Pennsylvania - whether they’re large cities like Philly (pop: 1.7M) or small towns like Centralia (pop: 10):
- Extended Range LTE to nearly 290 places like Avondale, Boothwyn, Bridgewater, Chelsea, Chester, Copesville, Kenneth Square, New London, West Chester and many more.
- And completely new LTE coverage to nearly 260 places like Bloomsburg, Berwick, Bradford, Clearfield, Dubois, Franklin, Oil City, Mansfield, Sunbury, Shamokin, Wellsboro and more.
We’re adding even more LTE speed and capacity specifically for the Democratic National Convention, by:
- Upgrading two more distributed antenna systems (DAS) with better electronics at the Wells Fargo Center and the PA Convention Center.
- Increasing fiber backhaul connections at some high traffic spots at both of these locations.
Media Contact:
T-Mobile US Media Relations
MediaRelations@T-Mobile.com
About T-Mobile US, Inc.
As America's Un-carrier, T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is redefining the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services through leading product and service innovation. The Company's advanced nationwide 4G LTE network delivers outstanding wireless experiences to more than 65.5 million customers who are unwilling to compromise on quality and value. Based in Bellevue, Washington, T-Mobile US provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile and MetroPCS. For more information, please visit https://www.t-mobile.com.