T-Mobile Ahead of Schedule After Incentive Auction

After this year’s incentive auction finished in April, the telecoms that acquired the 600 MHz spectrum licenses were expected to take up to three years to transition to the new frequencies. However, T-Mobile has already installed network sites broadcasting in the spectrum bands it purchased. The carrier acquired licenses to the spectrum between 617-652 MHZ and 663-698 MHz. It is currently operating in those frequencies in Wyoming and Maine. According to TVTechnology.com, T-Mobile plans to add more 600 MHz sites in Northwest Oregon, West Texas, Southwest Kansas, the Oklahoma panhandle, Western North Dakota, Coastal North Carolina, Central Pennsylvania, Central Virginia and Eastern Washington, before 2018.
 
The quick turnaround is taking the former owners of the spectrum by surprise. Television broadcasters and wireless mic users who have been using the spectrum are scrambling to abandon the bands quickly. Mark Bishop, T-Mobile’s senior spectrum manager, requested all relevant parties to cease using the channel blocks by November 1, 2017. Continue Reading