There’s a LOT of hype about 5G right now … and some real BS that’s being peddled to consumers and press. I get it. 5G will possibly be the most transformative technology of our time. It has the potential to unleash new applications and advances that will enrich virtually every industry and every part of our lives, fueling the American economy. It’ll create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in value and give people more choices and more opportunity. But I think it’s important to ground ourselves in the facts and realities of 5G too.
The reality is that none of those amazing possibilities will matter if not everyone can participate in the 5G revolution … and that’s exactly what will happen if AT&T, Verizon and the cable monopolists are left to control America’s 5G future. The one key thing to know amidst all the noise is that only the New T-Mobile intends to provide 5G for everyone, everywhere. Because what good are the benefits of 5G if not everyone can get them?
We're squarely focused on creating a great customer experience - not for a chosen few, but for everyone. To do that, a combination of low, mid and high band spectrum is required. This is New T-Mobile's multi-band 5G spectrum strategy (a key part of our proposed merger with Sprint), and it's key to America's global competitiveness in 5G.
Verizon and AT&T’s 5G strategy is limited … and sloooow to bring us real 5G … and will light up 5G to only a few places in the short term. But pressure from New T-Mobile’s broad and deep nationwide 5G will require them to do more, and do it faster, to compete. 5G will truly deliver amazing experiences, but not from anything that the other guys have launched so far! And they know it. Just look at everything they’re doing to cover it up. And the dinosaur cable companies who have done nothing to innovate for years know that 5G is an “existential threat” to their home broadband monopoly and they’re scared of having to compete instead of continuing to hold customers hostage to high-priced plans, so they’re making last-ditch efforts to stay relevant – like offering wireless service and finally upgrading their networks.
1. Verizon invested millions in dead-end 5G (W)TF … just to say “first.”
Verizon and America are not first with 5G. Verizon created their own made-up proprietary standard - that literally no one in the world plans to use once real standards-based 5G arrives - just to launch 5G* in a few blocks of four cities. All so they can misleadingly claim to be "first." It doesn't matter who claims first. It matters who does it right first, and Verizon ain't there yet no matter how many hundreds of millions they spend on ads telling us they are.
2. Verizon – coverage-map obsessed Verizon – refuse to publish a 5G coverage map.
Verizon's intentions for 5G are for it to be only available in very limited areas. They only use millimeter wave (mmW) spectrum, which covers less than a square mile from each tower and gets blocked by doors, windows, walls, trees, cars - you name it. That means they'll only provide 5G to a few small pockets of a few urban centers where they can make the most money. Yes, mmW is an important part of the mix, but as a standalone 5G strategy it makes zero sense.
Attendees at an industry event this month saw the limitations of mmW-only phones first-hand:
…we couldn’t touch the phone because it was positioned in such a specific way to connect well to the 5G network. We couldn’t even walk behind the phone, as we could have caused an interference. – Digital Trends
Their 5G* is soooo limited they won't even publish a coverage map. Because they don't want you to know just how limited their not-really 5G is.
If approved, New T-Mobile will have the spectrum assets to bring 5G to everyone, everywhere, including rural areas. By 2021, New T-Mobile's network will cover almost 2/3 of the US population with speeds of 100+Mbps, and that increases to almost 90% by 2024. The other guys can't even come close anytime soon, and they'll need to work hard to catch up.
3. BOTH AT&T and Verizon are covering up their network limitations with meaningless word trickery.
AT&T is so worried about how limited their 5G footprint will be that they’ve renamed their existing LTE network “5G Evolution.” And now, they’re calling their super limited mmW deployment “5G+.” I’ve heard they even have plans to show a 5G network indicator for LTE on consumers’ devices to hide the fact that actual 5G will be scarce, duping customers into thinking they’re getting something they’re not.
Verizon named their 5G Ultra Wide Band (UWB) – to trick you into thinking their network’s scarcity is something special. In fact, they’re working with OEMs to show “5G UWB” on the device … when you can find it! UWB should be short for UnderWhelming Bullshit because that’s exactly what it is.
The truth is if their 5G networks could scale beyond tiny pockets of dense urban areas, they wouldn’t be doing this.
4. AT&T is launching 5G with big-a$$ 5G pucks
This is not what America pucking wants.
AT&T, like Verizon, is also currently only using mmW spectrum and launching 5G in very limited areas. In AT&T's attempt to claim first, they promised a 2018 consumer launch of mobile 5G NR (actual global standards-based 5G) in a handful of cities -- and I've been waiting to see what they would do to try to squeeze into the last two weeks of December. They've finally said service is live in tiny parts of these cities - but their customers still can't get it. Instead, AT&T has hand-picked a few people to carry around a giant puck "at no cost for at least 90 days." At T-Mobile we call that a friendly user trial, not a launch! The truth is they can't sell it yet because the tech isn't commercially ready -- in our testing, it under-performs LTE and does not support any real mobility right now.
And if you missed it, take a look at the handy puck gift guide we published to help people lug this thing around.
5. AT&T’s CEO even admitted their meager network coverage in a rare moment of truth
AT&T’s rollout is so underwhelming, in fact, that their CEO had this to say about it this month:
There's probably not going to be broad enough deployment of networks that somebody would find a 5g phone generally useful. – Randall Stephenson, AT&T CEO
Add to that all the hyperventilating both Verizon and AT&T did a couple weeks ago trying to lay claim to the first 5G phone - a phone ALL of us are working with this OEM to develop, and ALL of us are going to carry. That's right, T-Mobile is working on that phone too - and other 5G devices with other OEMs and chipset manufacturers. In fact, we expect to have multiple 5G devices - that will work across multiple spectrum bands - in 2019, which will supercharge the experience for New T-Mobile customers.
Some asked us why we aren't clamoring to be part of this cluster. The answer is simple. We don't have time or resources to waste on that BS. The other guys are gigantic corporations with money and time to burn. We're heads down actually working on the New T-Mobile, so we can deliver 5G for All, if regulators approve the deal.
When you boil it all down, what is 5G all about? Is it about who's "first," or about who's first to get it right? At T-Mobile, we think "getting it right" is about delivering real benefits to Americans. That's what we intend to do and WE WON'T STOP.
Información adicional importante
En relación con la transacción propuesta, T-Mobile US, Inc. (“T-Mobile”) presentó una declaración de inscripción en el formulario S-4 (expediente n.° 333-226435), declarada en plena vigencia por la Comisión de Valores y Bolsa de los Estados Unidos (“SEC”) el 29 de octubre de 2018, que contiene una declaración de solicitud de consentimiento conjunto de T-Mobile y Sprint Corporation (“Sprint”), y que además constituye un prospecto de T-Mobile (la “declaración de solicitud de consentimiento conjunto/prospecto”). Cada una de las partes presentará otros documentos relacionados con la transacción propuesta ante la SEC. SE EXHORTA A LOS INVERSIONISTAS Y TITULARES DE VALORES A LEER LA DECLARACIÓN DE SOLICITUD DE CONSENTIMIENTO CONJUNTO/PROSPECTO Y DEMÁS DOCUMENTACIÓN PERTINENTE PRESENTADA ANTE LA SEC CUANDO ESTÉ DISPONIBLE, YA QUE CONTENDRÁ INFORMACIÓN IMPORTANTE. The documents filed by T-Mobile may be obtained free of charge at T-Mobile’s website, at www.t-mobile.com, or at the SEC’s website, at www.sec.gov, or from T-Mobile by requesting them by mail at T-Mobile US, Inc., Investor Relations, 1 Park Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10016, or by telephone at 212-358-3210. The documents filed by Sprint may be obtained free of charge at Sprint’s website, at www.sprint.com, or at the SEC’s website, at www.sec.gov, or from Sprint by requesting them by mail at Sprint Corporation, Shareholder Relations, 6200 Sprint Parkway, Mailstop KSOPHF0302-3B679, Overland Park, Kansas 66251, or by telephone at 913-794-1091.
No es oferta ni propuesta comercial
Esta comunicación no constituye una oferta para vender ni una propuesta comercial de una oferta de compra de valores, ni habrá venta de valores en ninguna jurisdicción en la que dicha oferta, propuesta comercial o venta se considere ilegal con anterioridad a la inscripción o calificación, conforme a la legislación sobre valores vigente en dicha jurisdicción. No se podrán ofrecer valores, excepto por medio de un prospecto que cumpla con los requisitos de la sección 10 de la Ley de Valores de EE.UU. de 1933, y sus posteriores enmiendas.
Advertencia en relación con las declaraciones a futuro
Esta comunicación contiene ciertas declaraciones a futuro con respecto a T-Mobile, Sprint y la transacción propuesta entre T-Mobile y Sprint. Todas las declaraciones que no sean declaraciones de hecho, incluida la información sobre resultados futuros, son declaraciones a futuro. Estas declaraciones a futuro generalmente se identifican mediante las palabras “anticipar”, “creer”, “estimar”, “suponer”, “pretender”, “puede”, “podría” o expresiones similares. Dichas declaraciones a futuro incluyen, entre otras, declaraciones sobre los beneficios de la transacción propuesta, incluidos futuros resultados financieros y operativos previstos, sinergias, tasas de aumento y crecimiento, los planes, objetivos, expectativas e intenciones de T-Mobile, de Sprint y de la compañía combinada, y el plazo previsto para completar la transacción propuesta. Existen varios factores que podrían ocasionar que los planes y resultados reales difieran de manera sustancial de los expresados o implícitos en las declaraciones a futuro. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the failure to obtain, or delays in obtaining, required regulatory approvals, and the risk that such approvals may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction, or the failure to satisfy any of the other conditions to the proposed transaction on a timely basis or at all; the occurrence of events that may give rise to a right of one or both of the parties to terminate the business combination agreement; adverse effects on the market price of T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s common stock and on T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s operating results because of a failure to complete the proposed transaction in the anticipated timeframe or at all; inability to obtain the financing contemplated to be obtained in connection with the proposed transaction on the expected terms or timing or at all; the ability of T-Mobile, Sprint and the combined company to make payments on debt or to repay existing or future indebtedness when due or to comply with the covenants contained therein; adverse changes in the ratings of T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s debt securities or adverse conditions in the credit markets; negative effects of the announcement, pendency or consummation of the transaction on the market price of T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s common stock and on T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s operating results, including as a result of changes in key customer, supplier, employee or other business relationships; significant transaction costs, including financing costs, and unknown liabilities; failure to realize the expected benefits and synergies of the proposed transaction in the expected timeframes or at all; costs or difficulties related to the integration of Sprint’s network and operations into T-Mobile; the risk of litigation or regulatory actions; the inability of T-Mobile, Sprint or the combined company to retain and hire key personnel; the risk that certain contractual restrictions contained in the business combination agreement during the pendency of the proposed transaction could adversely affect T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s ability to pursue business opportunities or strategic transactions; effects of changes in the regulatory environment in which T-Mobile and Sprint operate; changes in global, political, economic, business, competitive and market conditions; changes in tax and other laws and regulations; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the Form S-4, as well as in T-Mobile’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov and www.t-mobile.com. Las declaraciones a futuro se basan en expectativas y suposiciones actuales, que están sujetas a riesgos e incertidumbres que pueden ocasionar que los resultados reales sean sustancialmente diferentes de los expresados o implícitos en dichas declaraciones a futuro. En virtud de estos riesgos e incertidumbres, se exhorta a los lectores de esta comunicación a no basarse indebidamente en dichas declaraciones a futuro. T-Mobile no asume ningún tipo de obligación de actualizar o modificar la información contenida en esta comunicación (ya sea como resultado de la nueva información, acontecimientos futuros o algún otro factor), a menos que así lo exija la legislación vigente.