T-Mobile adds business slicing as latest 5G SA flex

  • T-Mobile introduced a business 5G slicing plan
  • The plan offers improved security and direct-to-device satellite coverage
  • Analysts declared this is a smart move for T-Mobile as it tries to get more enterprise customers from MNO rivals

T-Mobile is flexing its nationwide standalone 5G (5G SA) muscles again, launching the first enterprise-only plan that combines a nationwide 5G slice for business, satellite coverage and enhanced security.

The move comes as 5G SA terriers AT&T and Verizon nip at T-Mobile’s heels with quiet rollouts of their own pure 5G networks. T-Mobile appears to be taking preemptive steps to keep itself at the head of the pack.

T-Mobile said in a release that customers like Delta Air Lines and Axis Energy Services “are already exploring new ways to get more” from the plan. There’s no word on any other customers yet.

AvidThink principal Roy Chua – on the ground at the T-Mobile Innovation Day in Seattle – said that the business plan uses 5G SA and 5G-Advanced features on the T-Mobile network.

“T-Mobile SuperMobile packages together a set of previously announced capabilities from the T-Mobile network that includes their Satellite D2D offering made possible by their partnership with Starlink, their T-SASE slice for security and continues to leverage their nationwide 5G SA (with specific 5G-Advanced Release 17, Release 18 capabilities) network which currently leads the other U.S. operators,” he told Fierce.

“It's a smart bundling move to address business needs in terms of providing prioritized network access for common business use cases (video conferences), increased peace of mind with better security and coverage via their T-Satellite offering,” Chua noted.

The business focus of this new move makes sense for T-Mobile, since it is currently a smaller enterprise player than either AT&T and Verizon. 

“T-Mobile is clearly trying to leverage its 5G network lead over AT&T and Verizon to strengthen its position in the business services space,” noted Recon Analytics Analyst Daryl Schoolar. “While T-Mobile has done well with consumers, it still lags its two larger rivals when it comes to selling mobile services to business user.”

AT&T and Verizon are sure to follow-up with standalone business plans of their own – when they can.