BELLEVUE, Wash.—T-Mobile has introduced a new 5G-enabled smartphone that uses the 600 MHz it acquired from broadcasters during the spectrum auction held in 2017. The company said it plans to cover 200 million consumers with 5G on 600 MHz by the end of the year.
Pricing and availability for the new limited edition OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren “superphone” will be announced later this year, the company said. T-Mobile says it has been “building toward broad 5G on 600 MHz for two years, laying a foundation with 5G-ready equipment.” The company has been so eager to get its hands on the spectrum that it incentivized some broadcasters—including Dallas’ KXAS—to vacate its spectrum early. The company spent nearly $8 billion to acquire 31 MHz of the 600 MHz spectrum during the auctions, which yielded $19 billion total to U.S. broadcasters.
T-Mobile has already obtained approval from the DOJ and FCC to merge with Sprint, but a lawsuit by 15 state Attorneys General is holding it up.
The company recently released a video showcasing where the 600 MHz channels are showing up, including Cannon Beach, Ore., Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, Jersey Shore, Pa., Kabetogama, Minn., and Roswell, N.M.