FCC Grants T-Mobile Extra Spectrum During COVID-19 Outbreak

T-Mobile will have an extra spectrum boost for the next 60 days to help keep its customers online and connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.  To support the telecommunications provider in meeting increased demands for broadband and internet connectivity as more people are at home—and likely, on the web—due to the outbreak, the Federal Communications Commission revealed Sunday that it’s issued T-Mobile a 60-day special temporary authority to tap into additional spectrum in the 600 MHz band.  “This temporary authority will help T-Mobile better serve customers who, like all of us, are making significant adjustments to their daily lives to minimize in-person interactions and slow the spread of COVID-19,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement.  The 600 MHz band is primarily used for mobile devices. In 2017, T-Mobile unveiled it won almost half of the band in an FCC auction and that it aimed to use it as the foundation for 5G connectivity, but now, the contemporary health crisis apparently warrants the need for expanded capacity.