T-Mobile has begun to repurpose some of the spectrum it acquired with MetroPCS to supplement its LTE network. Late last month, T-Mobile turned on LTE service in what was formerly MetroPCS’s spectrum in northern Dallas, according to AllThingsD.
Combining its own spectrum with that of MetroPCS, T-Mobile is able to offer 20MHz-by-20MHz of bandwidth to customers in that area, which significantly improves capacity. T-Mobile said that it eventually plans to offer similar LTE bandwidth increases to 90% of the country’s top 25 markets beginning next year. It also hopes to offer 10MHz-by-10MHz LTE to 40 of the top 50 markets by the end of 2014. Verizon Wireless is undertaking a similar task, using AWS spectrum it acquired from cable providers to supplement its 700MHz-based LTE network.
