T-Mobile Says Independent Report Shows It's Deploying Its 700 MHz Spectrum

FCC. “MoffettNathanson documents how T-Mobile rapidly leveraged the 700 MHz spectrum it has acquired to ‘significantly’ expand its coverage footprint,” T-Mobile said. “From the end of 2014 to the end of 2015, T-Mobile expanded its network from 265 million LTE-covered POPs to 304 million LTE-covered POPs.” T-Mobile said this dramatic expansion “demonstrates T-Mobile’s ability and incentive to quickly improve service, invest in new facilities and expand consumer choice in markets the company could not seriously contest before it had access to low-band spectrum.” T-Mobile said it's using its 700 MHz spectrum to serve rural markets. “T-Mobile believes rural customers deserve the benefits of competition that T-Mobile is providing, just as it has provided for largely urban and suburban customers to date,” the carrier said. T-Mobile said its active buildout of the 700 MHz spectrum points to why the FCC should deny AT&T’s proposed buy of three lower 700 MHz C-block licenses from East Kentucky Network. AT&T disagreed, saying it also needs the spectrum to beef up its LTE offering in the markets covered (see 1601110062). “T-Mobile is prepared to purchase this spectrum at market-based, non-foreclosure prices and has proven it can deploy the spectrum rapidly and to the benefit of consumers and competition,” T-Mobile said. T-Mobile got most of its 700 MHz spectrum in a secondary market deal from Verizon.