5G Strategies of T-Mobile US, Sprint Hinge on Merger

T-Mobile US and Sprint have spent the better part of the last two years hoping and planning to merge into a combined entity, but now that the outcome of that effort rests with a federal judge, the future of both companies is unclear. If the merger is blocked and the operators remain separate companies, their respective 5G plans are going to evolve considerably and quickly. “T-Mobile is in a more favorable position than Sprint” because it enjoys a stronger balance sheet and the wherewithal to push forward with 5G, said Lynnette Luna, principal analyst at GlobalData Technology. “However, T-Mobile will then be relegated to deploying 5G in low-band and [millimeter-wave] spectrum, and would need to acquire mid-band spectrum that is now seen as the Holy Grail of 5G deployments given its propagation capabilities and faster data speeds.”