T-Mobile asks for special permission to use 2.5GHz 5G spectrum held up by the FCC
Mid-band spectrum is the “sweet spot” for wireless providers like T-Mobile
And while low-band signals travel great distances, they do not deliver download speeds much faster than LTE. But mid-band is the Goldilocks of 5G. It travels longer distances than mmWave, but not as far as low-band. And while it isn’t as fast as mmWave, mid-band 5G signals can provide users with 5G download speeds that are more than 10 times faster than LTE.
T-Mobile’s triple-layer cake approach to 5G
One theory suggests that the FCC is allowing T-Mobile to fight its battle with Congress over auction authority
Analyst Blair Levin of New Street Research says, “T-Mobile is not simply going to accept the Chair’s assertion about the FCC’s lack of authority to grant the license. The company obviously believes and is willing to spend some political and financial capital to demonstrate that it has a strong argument that granting the licenses is both legally allowed and in the public interest.”
T-Mobile also notes that since the auction has long ended, the FCC still has the authority to give the licenses to T-Mobile. The carrier does note that while Congress is deciding what to do about the FCC’s auction authority, T-Mobile is requesting the STA due to “extraordinary circumstances.” In the application, the wireless provider writes, “While T-Mobile expects that the Commission’s auction authority will be restored, the timing for when that will occur is unclear.”
There is a theory that would show how devious the FCC really is if true. This theory suggests that the FCC is refusing to allow T-Mobile to deploy the new 2.5GHz spectrum licenses in order to have the carrier fight with Congress in an attempt to get the lawmakers to return to the FCC its auction authority. In order words, if true, the FCC is using T-Mobile to fight its battle with Congress for it.