T-Mobile’s Band 71 is in 1,200+ Cities, Guys

T-Mobile’s 600MHz spectrum is a thing that T-Mobile customers should care deeply about. This is the band 71 LTE that will expand T-Mobile’s network into rural areas and buildings before it becomes 5G. It’s the band you should be making sure your next smartphone supports, like the Pixel 3. And today, that’s even more important, as T-Mobile announced that they’ve expanded 600MHz into 1,200+ cities and towns. In other words, you probably live in an area that can access this low-band, better-range signal, assuming your phone supports it.

T-Mobile calls this a part of its “Extended Range LTE,” which is a decent descriptor and also includes their 700MHz spectrum (band 12). Their 700MHz spectrum already covers 80% of the US and this 600MHz fill continues to strengthen that rollout. This is the network advancement that will help put T-Mobile on-par with Verizon in terms of quality and reliability.

As of today, T-Mobile’s list of Extended Range LTE phones includes Galaxy S9, S9+, Note 9, S8 Active, LG G7, V30, and Moto E5. That list should continue to grow rapidly, and as I just mentioned, will include the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.

If you keep worrying about T-Mobile’s network based on its past reputation, these are the types of announcements that should make you feel much better about making the switch. In fact, you should jump in the comments right now if you are still worried about T-Mobile’s network and ask around. DL readers migrated over to T-Mo years ago and sure seem to be happy with the switch.

// T-Mobile