T-Mobile moves needle in its research lab to compete with larger rivals
For a couple of minutes in a small, nondescript T-Mobile US conference room, the future of wireless is here.
Two phone-book sized pieces of equipment stand 8 feet apart, one representing a cell tower, the other the smartphone of the future. A nearby screen shows the transceiver is beaming download speeds that peak at 2,208 megabits per second — fast enough to grab a high-definition film in 10 seconds — and much faster than the 12 megabits-per-second standard for LTE smartphones now.
The breakthrough is brief. An engineer holds up a pane of glass, positioning it between the receivers while keeping out of the way himself. Download speeds on the dial drop significantly; much of the signal can’t pierce modern reflective, double-paned glass.
Wireless carriers and their suppliers will likely spend billions to develop fifth generation, or 5G, wireless technology, a coming update to cellular standards that’s designed for superfast delivery of internet data. The technology will let users stream video and experience virtual reality from their phones.
Early signs are promising, T-Mobile is finding from extensive testing in its Innovation Lab outside Seattle. But it’s also clear how far 5G has yet to go.
T-Mobile, the third-largest U.S. wireless carrier by subscribers, is a cornerstone of the wireless industry and a major employer in Chattanooga with its call center on Lee Highway near Highway 153. Decades ago, T-Mobile was home to pioneering companies that went on to form components of all four major U.S. wireless carriers.
The German-based company has more than 200 million customers and more than 36,00 employees, including 500 plus at its call center in Chattanooga.
The company is growing its business, pairing an aggressive marketing campaign with a build out of current-generation 4G LTE wireless technologies that have helped the wireless carrier come closer to the service quality of its larger rivals. That’s important in the mature cellphone market, where the primary way for a carrier to expand is by drawing subscribers away from competitors.
To spur even more growth, T-Mobile is expanding the size and head count of its technology lab, hosting 5G trials, doing more device testing, and also setting up office space to relieve some of the crunch at the company’s crowded campus down the road.
“Little old T-Mobile has actually produced and launched some global firsts,” said Neville Ray, the company’s chief technology officer since 2010.
“With the pace of growth that’s coming from our success, we’re driving capabilities that two to three years ago I think folks would have thought would be very, very difficult to achieve.”
T-Mobile in February said it would aim to be the first U.S. carrier to deploy cell service relying on LTE-U — technology that uses broadcast frequencies typically meant for Wi-Fi signals.
Another of T-Mobile’s recent lab inventions is the Digits feature, which allows a single phone number to ring across many devices. It also lets one phone hold multiple phone numbers.
5G likely won’t become a widespread reality until after 2020, said CTO Ray. Hurdles remain, from radiowave spectrum allocation to 5G-capable hardware to the consistent performance of the technology.