T-Mobile has used Ericsson’s 600 MHz radio solution to expand the coverage of its nationwide LTE network on the new, low-band 600 MHz spectrum starting in rural America.

Live in Scarborough, Maine on August 31, Ericsson’s 600 MHz radio equipment maximizes low-band spectral efficiency and coverage range through advanced MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) capabilities.

The main advantage of Ericsson’s 600 MHz radio equipment is the ability to switch over from 4G to 5G as and when needed. T-Mobile can make significant cost savings.

“We’re lighting up our new super spectrum for LTE and laying the foundation for 5G so fast we’re making the other guys’ heads spin – and with the LG V30, everything is coming together in record time,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile.

John Legere said that the new telecom equipment from Ericsson supports both LTE and 5G. T-Mobile can upgrade this already-deployed 5G-ready equipment via software update, effectively turning on 5G on 600 MHz with the flip of a switch without touching towers twice.

“The US has hit another milestone with the rollout of 5G-ready technology in record-breaking time. The work we’re doing with T-Mobile on its low-band spectrum is paving the way for 5G in rural America and nationwide,” said Borje Ekholm, president and CEO of Ericsson.

LG V30 available for T-Mobile wireless users across the nation will be the world’s first smartphone to support LTE on 600 MHz as well as other spectrum bands available from T-Mobile.

T-Mobile plans to deploy LTE on 600 MHz, starting in rural America and markets across more than 1.2 million square miles where the spectrum will be clear this year.

“Smartphones are coming, we just lit up another location with LTE on 600 MHz. We’re laying a foundation for nationwide 5G at the same time,” said Neville Ray, chief technology officer for T-Mobile.

Two weeks ago, Cheyenne, Wyoming became the first city in the world to go live with a 600 MHz LTE network.

This year, T-Mobile will launch 600 MHz LTE in parts of Wyoming, Northeast and Southwest Oregon, West Texas, Southwest Kansas, the Oklahoma panhandle, Western North Dakota, additional areas of Maine, Coastal North Carolina, Central Pennsylvania, Central Virginia and Eastern Washington.