John Legere took to Twitter in a surprisingly short and subdued Tweetstorm just a short while ago to announce a new move the ‘Uncarrier’ is making this week. Ahead of its Uncarrier X event, T-Mo’s extraverted chief announced that the wireless carrier is now offering a personal 4G LTE CellSpot to any Simple Choice customer who wants one…
Unlike the current ASUS-made CellSpot router, the 4G LTE CellSpot actually creates an LTE network in your home or work place and can apparently cover up to 3,000 square feet:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkXm2NBY8Wo]
Like the ASUS router, customers can get the device for free as long as they pay a $25 deposit, and T-Mo claim’s it’s just “plug and play”. As long as you have an Internet connection at home, you can plug the 4G LTE CellSpot in and it’ll create an LTE signal right in your home. T-Mobile now offers three different network boosting devices. For those confused about how the new one differs from the older products, the company put together a short list:
- Wi-Fi CellSpot Router: Announced at Un-carrier 7.0 in September 2014, this Internet-connected router provides customers with Wi-Fi coverage for calling and texting beyond the reach of any cellular network;
- 4G LTE CellSpot Signal Booster: This signal booster amplifies T-Mobile’s 3G, 4G and/or LTE signal throughout a home or business without an Internet connection; and,
- 4G LTE CellSpot: Announced today, this 4G LTE tower delivers a strong, reliable wireless 4G LTE signal for customers with or without an indoor cellular signal on compatible 3G, 4G and LTE handsets for up to 16 callers at one time anywhere a customer has broadband Internet and T-Mobile wireless spectrum.
It’s interesting/weird to see T-Mobile opt for actual LTE mini-towers when it already offers Wi-Fi calls and texts with virtually any router across the globe. Every device it sells now is equipped with Wi-Fi calling functionality, meaning none of its customers should ever struggle to make a call or send a message. However, there are perhaps those few who bring unlocked devices, or buy them elsewhere which don’t have Wi-Fi calling baked in. Customers with the new Nexus phones, likewise, don’t have Wi-Fi calling yet. So they may just ship a few out to customers.
It could, perhaps, be a response to customers complaining about the quality and consistency of Wi-Fi calling. It has been known to be unreliable, particularly if there are more than one person trying to use it at once. Having a device which copes with up to 16 simultaneous callers/users could be a big improvement.
Regardless of our views as to its purpose of existence, the 4G LTE CellSpot will be available in T-Mobile brick-and-mortar stores or through Customer Care from November 4th.
We’ve reached out to T-Mobile to ask about the specific bands being used. As of right now, we’re unsure which frequencies it’s operating on.
UPDATE: T-Mobile responded stating that it operates on 10×10 LTE in Band 4 and UMTS in Band 2 spectrum.
PRESS RELEASE
Bellevue, Washington — November 2, 2015 — Every day T-Mobile’s building a bigger, faster, stronger network and just last month reached more than 300 million Americans covered by the nation’s fastest 4G LTE—a virtual dead heat with Verizon and AT&T. But, T-Mobile isn’t stopping there. After amping up several of its iconic Un-carrier moves this summer, T-Mobile’s at it again, amping up another Un-carrier move—this one coming just a week before the company takes the wraps off its landmark 10th Un-carrier move in LA.
Today, the company unveiled the T-Mobile 4G LTE CellSpot, the first-ever 4G LTE mini-tower available from a U.S. wireless provider. Think of it as your own 4G LTE mini-tower – with low power settings for indoor use – providing an average 3,000 sq. feet of glorious full-bar T-Mobile LTE coverage throughout your home, small business or virtually anywhere you need it.
Un-carrier 7.0 was all about giving customers personal coverage wherever they want it with the breakthrough Wi-Fi CellSpot Router. This new 4G LTE CellSpot takes that idea to the next level. While the Wi-Fi CellSpot Router uses Wi-Fi for calling and texting, now customers don’t have to use Wi-Fi to get coverage where they want. The 4G LTE CellSpot delivers the complete T-Mobile LTE network experience, including the Un-carrier’s latest network advancements—like VoLTE, HD voice for crystal clear calls, advanced messaging, video calling and more. In fact, it’s the world’s first device of its kind that is 3G, 4G and VoLTE-capable, and any T-Mobile customer can connect to it automatically just like any other cell tower – no passwords or log-ins required.
The best part of today’s news is that this advanced technology is available to Simple Choice postpaid customers at absolutely no cost for as long as they’re with T-Mobile.
“Where the T-Mobile Wi-Fi CellSpot’s like a T-Mobile tower, this new 4G LTE CellSpot is a T-Mobile mini-tower—and it’s a huge feat of engineering,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “The big difference between us and the carriers is that they’ll do absolutely everything they can to bleed you dry. We’ll do absolutely everything we can and use every proven technology available to give you the best coverage possible.”
The wireless industry is all abuzz about “small cells,” but the carriers are choosing where to put their small cells and where their think customers should get better coverage. With the 4G LTE CellSpot, T-Mobile is doing something classically Un-carrier – putting the power in customers’ hands who can now light up T-Mobile’s LTE network wherever they need it most. This idea has been wildly popular with T-Mobile customers, who have already snapped up more than 1 million Wi-Fi CellSpot Routers since last year and are making more than 11 million calls every single day over Wi-Fi.
The T-Mobile 4G LTE CellSpot measures just 8.5” wide by 8.5” tall and is just 1.3” thick, so it fits just about anywhere. And it’s fully ‘plug-n-play.’ Just hook it up to the Internet, plug it into the wall and boom! You’ve got a clear, strong LTE signal covering 3,000 sq. feet on average.
T-Mobile’s 4G LTE CellSpot is ideal for small businesses who need to provide coverage for employees and visitors. The 4G LTE CellSpot supports up to 16 calls at one time; works with any 3G, 4G or LTE device compatible with T-Mobile’s network, including those that can’t use Wi-Fi calling; and can deliver 4G LTE even in places where cellular signals aren’t available.
The T-Mobile 4G LTE CellSpot is free to eligible Simple Choice customers − one per business or home location − with a refundable $25 deposit and a non-return fee. In stark contrast, the carriers make their customers pay hundreds of dollars and jump through hoops just to get their outdated 3G-based femto cell solutions.
The Un-carrier is relentlessly pushing the envelope when it comes to coverage—whether it’s delivering the first nationwide voice over LTE network, Wi-Fi calling and texting, nationwide HD voice, advanced messaging, Gogo in-flight texting or a range of personal coverage solutions. The 4G LTE CellSpot rounds out T-Mobile’s Personal CellSpot family, a set of products complementing the Un-carrier’s blazing-fast 4G LTE network and available to Simple Choice customers at no extra charge, including:
- Wi-Fi CellSpot Router: Announced at Un-carrier 7.0 in September 2014, this Internet-connected router provides customers with Wi-Fi coverage for calling and texting beyond the reach of any cellular network;
- 4G LTE CellSpot Signal Booster: This signal booster amplifies T-Mobile’s 3G, 4G and/or LTE signal throughout a home or business without an Internet connection; and,
- 4G LTE CellSpot: Announced today, this 4G LTE tower delivers a strong, reliable wireless 4G LTE signal for customers with or without an indoor cellular signal on compatible 3G, 4G and LTE handsets for up to 16 callers at one time anywhere a customer has broadband Internet and T-Mobile wireless spectrum.
The T-Mobile 4G LTE CellSpot will be available November 4 in participating stores nationwide or shipped through T-Mobile Customer Care. For more information, visit: http://explore.business.t-mobile.com/coverage#cellspot. For more on T-Mobile’s Data Strong coverage, please visit: www.t-mobile.com/coverage.html.
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