T-Mobile USA has announced a deal to swap blocks of radio spectrum with
Verizon Wireless in 218 markets across the country. T-Mobile said the purchase
will improve its spectrum position in 15 of the top 25 markets in the USA.
The deal would be dependent on forthcoming Verizon spectrum
purchases, currently being scrutinized by the FCC. But, if the deals
with SpectrumCo, Cox, and Leap go through, T-Mobile will get its LTE
groundwork.
For
iPhone
users, this deal is particularly interesting, especially if you've
already been using Apple's smartphone on T-Mobile's existing HSPA+
network. T-Mobile already offers tremendous support for the iPhone on
its network even though it is not officially part of Apple's sales
partnership.
"This agreement will provide T-Mobile with critical AWS spectrum, enhancing
both network capacity and performance and allowing us to meet the growing
consumer demand for 4G mobile broadband," T-Mobile CEO and President Philipp
Humm said in a statement. "We anticipate FCC approval later this summer, in
time for us to incorporate this new spectrum into our network modernization and
the rollout of LTE services next year." he added.