One of the benefits of the T-Mobile-Sprint merger that both companies have been touting is that the combined company will have a broad and deep nationwide 5G network that'll include in-home broadband. Today T-Mobile CEO John Legere shared a bit more info on his company's in-home broadband plans.
Legere says that after the merger, the New T-Mobile will bring more competition to the in-home broadband market. The company will offer wireless broadband speeds of 100Mbps or higher to 90 percent of the U.S. population and in-home service to more than half of the country's households. The New T-Mo plans to have 9.5 million customers on its in-home broadband service by 2024.
The combined company will simplify the in-home broadband installation process, too, says Legere. The New T-Mobile will offer a "broadband in a box" package with a New T-Mobile In Home Router that you can self-install using a mobile app. And if you need help, you'll be able to contact T-Mobile's Team of Experts.
T-Mobile isn't waiting for 5G to dip its toes in the in-home broadband market, though. Legere has confirmed that T-Mobile will run a pilot program for its home internet service using its 4G LTE network. Customers will get a free 4G router, which you can see below. T-Mobile will then upgrade the router to support 2.5GHz spectrum and 5G-compatible hardware if its merger with Sprint is approved. This 4G LTE home internet service pilot is coming soon.
Legere claims that the New T-Mobile's home internet service will cost less than existing home broadband options. He also touts that the T-Mobile-Sprint merger will be good for customers of other in-home broadband services because those other providers will be forced to lower their prices and improve their services to compete with the New T-Mobile.
T-Mobile and Sprint have both been busy pushing their merger lately, talking up its potential benefits to try and win over support from the public and the U.S. government. The deal is still facing a public interest review from the FCC and an antitrust review from the Department of Justice. It's unclear when those agencies will make their decision on the T-Mobile-Sprint merger, but the carriers have said that they expect to get approval in the first half of 2019.
