BELLEVUE, Wash.—T-Mobile has announced that it has expanded its 5G network in Utah to the point where it now provides wireless coverage across a whopping 85,000 square miles in the state where nearly 99% of Utah residents live. 

Since 2021, T-Mobile said it has added more than 192 new cell towers and upgraded more than 621 existing ones to expand 5G coverage to more people in rural areas. The carrier also reported that it is planning more new installations and upgrades to existing towers throughout this year and 2024 to further boost capacity and data speeds.

“Utahns are experiencing faster 5G speeds and better 5G coverage with the Un-carrier, thanks to collaborative partnerships with local and state agencies and entities,” said Darryl Hawkins, senior vice president, field engineering at T-Mobile. “Our recent 5G network expansion across the state exemplifies our unwavering commitment to elevate wireless capabilities for individuals, families and businesses, underscoring our dedication to enhancing the overall customer experience.”

Some of the counties in Utah with expanded coverage and capacity include:

• Beaver
• Box Elder
• Cache
• Carbon
• Daggett
• Davis
• Duchesne
• Emery
• Garfield
• Iron
• Juab
• Kane
• Millard
• Morgan
• Rich
• Salt Lake
• Sanpete
• Sevier
• Summit
• Tooele
• Uintah
• Utah
• Wasatch
• Washington
• Wayne
• Weber

T-Mobile also noted that nearly 1 in 5 Utahns have only two or less choices for home broadband and that its network expansion is providing Utah residents greater access high-speed broadband via the T-Mobile 5G Home Internet service. 

Today, 5G Home Internet from T-Mobile is available to 650,000 households across the state. 

Utah residents can learn more and check eligibility at www.t-mobile.com/home-internet, and Utah businesses can learn more about T-Mobile Business Internet by visiting www.t-mobile.com/business-internet. 

SALT LAKE CITY—A decision to replace a statue of the father of television as a representative of the state of Utah in the U.S. Capitol has citizens of the Beehive state all abuzz.

At issue is a recent vote by the Utah Senate to remove a statue of Philo Farnsworth—who is credited with inventing the cathode ray tube—in the Capitol with a statue of Martha Hughes Cannon, the state’s first female senator. Supporters of the move wanted to use the occasion to mark the 2020 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote and mark 150 years since women in Utah were given the same right, according to the Cottonwood Holladay Journal.

Each state has two* statues in the U.S. Capitol’s visitor center representing a prominent figure from that particular state and the statues can be replaced anytime. Supporters of changing the statue note that Cannon will only occupy Farnsworth’s place until 2020, but that didn’t stop Farnsworth supporters from objecting.

[Read: The Farnsworth Invention]

“I don’t think the legislators realize what all Farnsworth did not only for our state but for the nation and the world,” Treva Barnson told the Journal. Barnson spoke on behalf of her husband Bruce, who led the campaign by elementary school students to have Farnsworth represent Utah in the Capitol 30 years ago. “We’re hoping that the Farnsworth statue will be placed in the Smithsonian and that in 10 years, he can rotate back to the Capitol.”

Choosing Cannon to replace Farnsworth wasn’t unanimous either, noted Salt Lake City Recorder Adam Gardiner, who introduced the bill a year ago. In addition to her role as an early suffragist, she was also a polygamous wife. There was “a lot of uproar,” Gardner told the Journal. “I got more phone calls, hate mail, some love mail, on this bill than any other.”

Barnson hopes that legislators will reconsider their decision.

"If you’re going to remove a statue from the U.S. Capitol, take Brigham Young down,” Barnson said. “Farnsworth was a scientist and inventor who inspires so many students.” 

   [*corrected]