T-Mobile rolled out its 5G network nationwide in 2020. And since then, it has continued to build it out, as well as release more and more phones that work on its 5G network. We now have smartphones, tablets, and even hotspots that work on T-Mobile 5G. But the real question is just how good is T-Mobile’s 5G? And how much will it cost you, is it worth switching and more. We’ll aim to answer these questions in this post. So you can learn everything you need to know about T-Mobile and its 5G Network.
What is T-Mobile 5G?
T-Mobile 5G is built a bit different than its competitors. For one, it’s using three layers of spectrum for its network. Unlike Verizon and AT&T which are mostly relying on low-band and then mmWave for its network. T-Mobile benefited greatly from the 600MHz auction and its merger with Sprint going through. T-Mobile rolled out 5G initially on its 600MHz spectrum, which is why it was able to roll it out nationwide, however the speeds weren’t what we expected from 5G. That’s because this is low-band spectrum which offers some great coverage, but speed (and capacity) suffers here. When T-Mobile closed the deal with Sprint, it also got access to a ton of 2.5GHz spectrum, which many carriers were biting at the chomps to get from Sprint. Sprint itself got the spectrum from purchasing Clearwire in the early 2010s. Which is going to help with T-Mobile’s 5G network, adding more capacity without sacrificing coverage as much as mmWave would.
What are the layers of T-Mobile’s 5G Cake?
T-Mobile has talked a lot about it’s 5G Cake. Which is a really good way to show what their plan is for their 5G network. You can see a picture of it above. Basically at the bottom, there’s low-band for nationwide 5G. That’s using the 600MHz spectrum that is also used for 4G LTE. That explains why its nationwide 5G network is very similar in speed to 4G LTE. In the middle there is mid-band, for larger metro areas. This uses the 2.5GHz spectrum that it got from the merger with Sprint. Finally, we have mmWave at the top, which is going to be ideal for dense urban areas. Think of cities like New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. As well as venues like the Staples Center, Ford Field, etc. Where there are tens of thousands of people in a small area. mmWave is going to provide a lot more capacity, but the coverage of mmWave is really terrible. And that’s why T-Mobile is using 600MHz, 2.5GHz and mmWave altogether for its 5G network. To provide great coverage and incredible speeds.
What happens to Sprint’s 5G network?
In April of 2020, the merger with Sprint was made complete. Which meant that it was only a matter of time before its 5G network was taken down and integrated into T-Mobile’s network. When the merger was complete, a lot of people were worried that it might end up like the Nextel-Sprint merger in the early 2000s. Where Sprint wasn’t able to actually use Nextel’s network for nearly a decade after it purchased the company. However, T-Mobile had a good history of merging with another carrier. Like MetroPCS. It was able to merge quite nicely with MetroPCS which was also a CDMA carrier – like Verizon and Sprint. The early Sprint 5G smartphones no longer work on T-Mobile (or Sprint’s) 5G network. We’re talking about the Galaxy S10 5G and Note 10 5G phones. Anything like the Galaxy S20 and newer will still work on T-Mobile’s 5G network, which is good to hear. The Sprint 5G network is gone, and has been refarmed into T-Mobile’s 5G network. If you have a 5G phone and it doesn’t work on T-Mobile, you likely need to get a new one.
Is there T-Mobile 5G coverage in my area?
Most likely. Yes. T-Mobile launched 5G in almost every city across the country. This is thanks to the large amount of 600MHz (and in some areas, 700MHz) spectrum that T-Mobile owns. Below is a list of cities that have T-Mobile 5G on the 2.5GHz band right now (which means enhanced 5G):
ArizonaEloyArkansasJacksonvilleNorth Little RockTrumannCaliforniaAzusaBaldwin ParkCitrusFlorence-GrahamGarden GroveLa PuenteLos AngelesMonroviaNorwalkOntarioParamountSan FernandoTemple CityWalnut ParkWest CarsonWillowbrookConnecticutNew HavenDelawareWilmingtonFloridaAzalea ParkDunedinEast Lake-Orient ParkElfersHolidayInwoodKey VistaLongwoodMinneolaNew Port RicheyNokomisOak RidgePort RicheyProgress VillageRidgecrestSky LakeVeniceWestchaseZephyrhillsGeorgiaAtlantaDallasGainesvilleGraysonJohns CreekMabletonNewnanNorth AtlantaRiverdaleScottdaleSmyrnaWinderIllinoisAddisonArlington HeightsAuroraBataviaBellevilleBellwoodBloomingtonBradleyBridgeviewBuffalo GroveBurbankCalumet CityCarol StreamChampaignChannahonChicagoChicago HeightsChicago RidgeCiceroCrestwoodDoltonEglinElk Grove VillageElmwood ParkEvergreen ParkForest ParkGlendale HeightsGranite CityHanover ParkHazel CrestHoffman EstatesIndian CreekIngalls ParkKankakeeLake ZurichLansingLemontLockportLombardLyonsMarkhamMaywoodMelrose ParkMidlothianMount ProspectMundeleinNapervilleNilesNormalNorridgeNorth ChicagoNorthlakeOak LawnPalos HillsPark ForestPaxtonPekinPlainfieldRichton ParkRiver GroveRiverdaleRomeovilleSchaumburgSouth Chicago HeightsStone ParkStreamwoodSwanseaTinley ParkUniversity ParkUrbanaVernon HillsWaterlooWaukeganWheatonWheelingWoodridgeWorthIndianaCrown PointEvansvilleGreenwoodHammondIndianapolis city (balance)LawrenceMerrillvilleKansasOverland ParkPittsburgWichitaMarylandCroftonLargoLaurelLochearnMaryland CityMelroseMiddle CityMiddle RiverParkvilleRevereSaugusSevernTowsonUrbana**MassachusettsHolbrookWalthamMichiganBangorCenter LineClintonDecaturEastpointeInksterWarrenYpsilantiMinnesotaColumbia HeightsElk RiverHilltopHopkinsMaplewoodMinneapolisSt. PaulMissouriBlack JackCarthageCharlackClaytonCliff VillageColumbiaDennis AcresFlordell HillsForistellGrandviewHouston LakeJoplinKirkwoodLake Mykee TownLawsonNew BloomfieldRaytownSt. JosephSt. LouisUniversity CityWarrensburgNevadaEnterpriseNew JerseyAtlantic CityBrooklawnCamdenCliffside ParkCliftonDoverEast NewarkEast OrangeEchelonEdgewaterElizabethElmwood ParkEnglewoodFair LawnFairviewFort LeeFranklin CenterGarfieldGlen RockGuttenbergHasbrouck HeightsHobokenInterlakenJersey CityKearnyLindenLodiMorristownNewarkNorth ArlingtonPalisades ParkPassaicPatersonPine HillPine ValleyRidgefieldRockawayRoselleRutherfordSecaucusSomervilleTotowaTrentonUnion CityVictory GardensWallingtonWanamassaWest New YorkWhartonWood-RidgeNew YorkAmsterdamBabylonCentral IslipCopiagueEast WillistonFranklin SquareFreeportGarden CityGarden City ParkGreen IslandHarbor IsleHempsteadIsland ParkLake MoheganLindenhurstLong BeachMalverne Park OaksMiddle IslandMineolaNew YorkPlainviewShrub OakSouth HempsteadTerryvilleTroyUniversity GardensWest BabylonWest HempsteadWilliston ParkNorth CarolinaApexAshevilleCharlotteClemmonsConcordCorneliusHendersonvilleKernersvillePinevillePiney GreenStallingsStatesvilleValley HillVanceboroWinston-SalemYoungsvilleOhioAvalonBrooklynCincinnatiColumbusFinneytownHamiltonHanoverLancasterLondonMcKees RocksMonroeRossmoyneSanduskyOklahomaBroken ArrowChoctawDel CitySmith VillageOregonAlohaNewbergSherwoodPennsylvaniaAldanAliquippaAllentownArnoldBeaverBellmawrBethlehemBlawnoxBrackenridgeBraddockBridgewaterBryn MawrChalfantChesterCollingswoodColwynDarbyDuryeaEast LansdowneFolsomKerrtownLansdowneLevittownLibertyMeadvilleMillbourneMunhallNew KensingtonNorth BraddockPhiladelphiaPhoenixvilleRankinRidley ParkRutledgeTarentumUplandVeronaWhitakerYeadonYoungstownRhode IslandWoonsocketSouth CarolinaGoose CreekSangareeTennesseeBerry HillFranklinHendersonvilleKnoxvilleLebanonMaryvilleOak RidgeSeviervilleShelbyvilleTexasBacliffCloverleafDallasFifth StreetGalena ParkHoustonJacinto CityLa PorteNassau BayShenandoahSouth HoustonStaffordVirginiaAlexandriaArlingtonBailey’s CrossroadsBrambletonBroadlandsBull RunFalls ChurchHamptonHerndonHighland SpringsLake BarcroftLoudoun Valley EstatesManassasManassas ParkMerrifieldNewport NewsNorfolkRichmondSpringfieldSudleyTysons CornerVirginia BeachWashingtonYorkshireWashingtonBurienGenevaMonroeOak HarborSnohomishWashington D.C.WisconsinBeloitMilwaukeeNeenahSouth MilwaukeeWest Allis
T-Mobile now shows its “Ultra Capacity 5G” on its coverage map. So you can see where you’ll get faster speeds. This is 2.5GHz spectrum and not mmWave. So it’ll show larger areas than Verizon would with its mmWave.
What phones work on T-Mobile’s 5G Network?
Most of the phones on the market right now support T-Mobile’s 5G network. Even if you don’t buy it from T-Mobile. Here are a few options for T-Mobile-branded phones that work on its 5G network:
Apple iPhone 12 seriesSamsung Galaxy S21 seriesSamsung Galaxy Note 20 UltraGoogle Pixel 5
As for unlocked phones, you have a few more options, mostly those from OnePlus.
OnePlus 8OnePlus 8 ProOnePlus 8TOnePlus Nord N10 5G
The amount of 5G phones will continue to improve over the coming years as more phones become available.
What plans are available with 5G connectivity?
The skinny here is that, all of T-Mobile’s plans work with 5G, and come with it included. Meaning that there’s no extra fee to be able to use 5G on T-Mobile. Unlike some of its competitors, T-Mobile does not make any major distinctions between its networks. So you’ll get 2G, 3G, 4G LTE or 5G, depending on where you are, on any and all plans. It’s worth noting that the new Magenta Max plan is the best for those that want to take full advantage of its 5G network. This is the truly unlimited plan, with no cap on when you’ll get throttled. It costs $85 per month, and of course gets cheaper the more lines you add. Magenta Max also comes with 40GB of mobile hotspot at 4G/5G speeds, afterwards it is slowed down to 3G speeds. There’s also Netflix included for a single line, something that is not the case with the regular Magenta plans – typically you need at least two lines. Finally, with Magenta Max, you also get 4K streaming. And aren’t limited to SD streaming like on its other plans. So you can really take full advantage of this 5G network with the Magenta Max plan here.
Will T-Mobile 5G give me cancer?
No. There have been a lot of conspiracy theories going around the past couple years, claiming that 5G is going to penetrate the human body and give us cancer. When the COVID-19 pandemic first started, many tried to claim that 5G caused COVID-19, which is also not true. Let’s think about this for a second. The majority of the spectrum being used for 5G, is already in use on 4G networks. The only real change here is mmWave. Which is a much higher band of spectrum, and it’s actually really weak. Have you ever wondered why all of those gigabit speed tests on 5G networks only happened outside? That’s because it can’t penetrate through walls to work indoors. At least not yet. Yet, people seem to think that mmWave, which can’t even handle some light wind, is going to be able to penetrate the human body. No. It’s not going to. mmWave can barely handle light wind, or a tree getting in its way, before disconnecting from your phone. This is why it is important to do some research on these theories before spreading them. As some of them are pretty idiotic. And spreading fake news is never a good idea.
Is T-Mobile 5G worth it?
T-Mobile’s 5G network has gotten a lot of hate since it launched in 2020. Many complain that it’s the same speed if not slower than 4G LTE. And the reason for that is because it is using the same spectrum as 4G LTE. So yeah, the speed is going to be almost the same. However, those in markets with 2.5GHz and mmWave available, are seeing much faster speeds. It’ll take time before the full 5G Cake is complete for T-Mobile, but once it is, it may be the best value in wireless. T-Mobile is already much cheaper than most of the competition, when it comes to its plans. And that will likely continue. As we say with all the carriers and plans for 5G, don’t upgrade to a 5G phone for 5G. Upgrade because you need or want a new phone. It’s not worth it to upgrade solely for 5G at this point. That will change in a couple of years, of course. But for now, it’s just not worth it.
