T-Mobile US announced plans to light up Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) nationwide in 2018. The company conducted North America’s first-ever NB-IoT field tests earlier this year in conjunction with Qualcomm and Ericsson. T-Mobile now expects to launch the first commercial NB-IoT network in Las Vegas, paving the way for nationwide NB-IoT in mid-2018. T-Mobile also announced the first NB-IoT modules from Sierra Wireless, Telit and u-blox are already being tested in its labs, with expected availability in early 2018.
Several other big announcements this week from the company:
- T-Mobile confirmed that will also support Cat-M – another IoT standard for solutions requiring voice support – in 2018.
- T-Mobile plans to use a portion of its 600 MHz spectrum to deliver a 5G network from coast to coast by 2020. This will be augmented with its millimeter wave spectrum and push for mid-band 5G spectrum.
- T-Mobile also expanded its SyncUP product family, unveiling T-Mobile SyncUP FLEET, a new fleet management solution for businesses. SyncUP FLEET includes connected hardware and a cloud-based platform with management tools. Customers simply plug the SyncUP FLEET device into each vehicle’s standard on-board diagnostics (OBDII) port and create their online account to get started.
“The Un-carrier team is unstoppable. Not only have we built America’s best unlimited network, but this magenta army is also moving at a breakneck pace to support the future of connected devices in a 5G world,” said Neville Ray, Chief Technology Officer of T-Mobile. “Our IoT customers can rest well knowing their tech is future proof with the Un-carrier.”
“The Duopoly’s networks are already congested — just look no further than Verizon’s recent changes to its unlimited plans!” said Ray. “And here’s my prediction: as we move toward 5G, they won’t have enough low-band spectrum to power smartphones AND the massive world of IoT – leaving their customers in the lurch. We have different plans for T-Mobile customers.”