But Marrero said the states had not convincingly
argued that the deal would lead to higher
prices and lower quality service. He said Dish
would become an aggressive competitor,
while T-Mobile had the incentive to continue
competing aggressively.
WHAT’S THIS 5G ALL ABOUT?
5G is a new technical standard for wireless
networks that promises faster speeds; less
lag, or “latency,” when connecting to the
network; and the ability to connect many
devices to the internet without bogging it
down. 5G networks will ideally be better able
to handle more users, lots of sensors and
heavy traffic.
The major U.S. wireless companies have all
launched 5G networks and will continue
rolling them out. There aren’t many users
yet, as the networks are limited in coverage,
and few phones are currently equipped
for 5G.
Sprint’s 5G network is now in parts of nine
cities, while T-Mobile says its version already
could cover 200 million people. They have
promised to cover 97% of the U.S. within three
years of finalizing the deal and 99% in six years.
T-Mobile says its goal is a nationwide network
that will be five times faster than current LTE
service in a few years and 15 times faster
by 2024.
T-Mobile and Sprint would have built a
5G network even without combining, but
Marrero agreed with the companies that their
standalone networks would be more limited in
scope and take longer to build.