According to reports in the US, T-Mobile is strategising to acquire low-band spectrum from other smaller carriers in a bid to gain access to urban markets like New York City, where low-band spectrum is more effective in high-rise buildings and other built-up areas than high-band frequencies.
T-Mobile does not have access to low-band spectrum at the moment and has had to operate independently in the US market so far.
SoftBank-owned Sprint is attempting to secure a merger with T-Mobile US in a bid to become more competitive with AT&T and Verizon, but the proposal has been met by strong reservations from US regulators.
Speaking to Reuters, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son did not offer an opinion on what Sprint will do if the tie-up with T-Mobile US falls through.
“Us [Sprint] becoming a more credible competitor in scale is something good for American consumers and citizens,” he said. “I’m not talking about if this or that. I’m just hopeful that we become an effective competitor.”
