While Verizon is in no immediate danger of following suit AT&T to be Taken over by T-Mobile in terms of wireless subscribers, the nation’s number one carrier can certainly not afford to rest on its laurels when it comes to network infrastructure.
As evidenced by the “New T-Mobile”, probably the best initial 5G deployment strategy involved a so-called “layer cake” combining low, medium and high band spectrum to focus on the perfect balance of speed and coverage. The problem is Verizon’s low and mid-band spectrum holdings pale in comparison to the technology that Magenta is owned by completing its Sprint acquisition.
For what it’s worth, America’s largest provider definitely sees the mistake of its ways, pulling out all the stops to close the 5G availability gap … finally. That included hard work on a potentially by game changing technology called dynamic spectrum sharing, and also allocating enormous sums of money for two large spectrum auctions, and according to a new Light Reading report, getting much needed spectrum left and right from smaller businesses.
The latest move, while not entirely uncommon but especially critical of Verizon’s long-term national ambitions, marks the carrier’s willingness to do everything possible to keep up. T-Mo’s remarkable 5G expansion pace.
Although Big Red remains very focused on spreading the 5G Ultra Wideband love to “share” dozens of additional cities by the end of the year, these “secondary market” transactions, provided by AllNet Insights & Analytics, are exclusively aimed at confirming the Sub Operator 6GHz portfolio.
We’re talking both low- and mid-range, purchased from a number of companies, including Spotlight Media, Orion Wireless, and even AT&T, which Verizon will undoubtedly use it to try to expand the cringeworthy coverage of its current 5G network in addition to the wealth of CBRS and C-band technology, the wireless giant is expected to snap in two FCC auctions, one of which is already half done.
