- T-Mobile’s use of 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum is well publicized, but its use of millimeter wave? Not so much
- One example of T-Mobile’s use of mmWave is last weekend’s Kentucky Derby
- T-Mobile’s mmWave strategy contrasts with that of rival Verizon, which uses the higher-band spectrum far more extensively
It’s pretty well-known that T-Mobile’s 2.5 GHz spectrum is its workhorse, on top of the 600 MHz that comprises the lowest layer of its spectrum “layer cake.” Its use of millimeter wave (mmWave) – which sits at the top of the cake – isn’t so well-known. But it’s there, most notably in private networks.
T-Mobile’s mmWave deployment most recently was on display during last weekend’s Kentucky Derby, where NBC Sports used it to support eight iPhone 17 Pros to capture owner, trainer and jockeys’ family reactions in the stands. NBC also used T-Mobile’s 5G standalone (SA) technology for live broadcasts at last year’s Ryder Cup and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
T-Mobile’s 5G On Demand uses a technology called New Radio Dual Connectivity, or NR-DC, to connect its mmWave spectrum to mid-band spectrum, allowing for super-fast speeds at events like the Kentucky Derby. NR-DC is supported in the most recent iPhone software release; previously, it was in Android devices.
“Unlike maybe some of our other events, this is one where NBC is coming to us and going, ‘Hey, can you bring this capability to us for this event?’” said Scott Jacka, senior director of Technology Development Strategy at T-Mobile.
The next big event where T-Mobile 5G On Demand will be on full display is next week’s 2026 PGA Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. CBS will use it as part of its broadcast. T-Mobile is partnering with NEP Specialty Capture, which provides broadcast infrastructure at events.
T-Mobile’s strategic use of mmWave
T-Mobile’s use of mmWave is miniscule on its macro network. The most recent Ookla report on mmWave shows T-Mobile deployed mmWave in only one market measured by RootMetrics technicians during the second half of 2025, a decline from two markets recorded in the first half of 2024.
That compares to Verizon’s much more aggressive deployment of mmWave, which showed up in 91 markets in RootMetrics’ records in the second half of 2025, up from 75 markets in the first half of 2024. Verizon was a big spender in the 2019 mmWave auction at the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), which occurred before mid-band spectrum was made available.
Verizon has been criticized for putting so much emphasis on mmWave because while it produces super-fast speeds, its signals don’t travel far – about a half mile compared to miles in lower-band spectrum – and they don’t penetrate buildings or other structures very well.
mmWave pros and cons
Generally, T-Mobile’s use of mmWave, primarily at 24 GHz, shows up most prominently in private networks vs. public.
T-Mobile Park, for example, is a site with T-Mobile mmWave, but it’s not necessarily in the rest of Seattle, Jacka said.
“Millimeter wave has pros and cons. The pro is really high throughput. When we do Las Vegas Grand Prix, we bring millimeter wave. It gives you fantastic speeds,” like 2 gigabits per second, he told Fierce.
One of the cons is you have to get the line of sight just right.
“We’ve not taken the approach of trying to densely deploy millimeter wave because it doesn’t necessarily make sense. Stadiums are a good place for it. We'll use it where it makes sense. We're actually much more invested in mid-band. We also have low band for extended reach,” he said.
What about SpaceX/Starlink?
Meanwhile, the talk of the town has been whether SpaceX/Starlink will do an MVNO with one of the Big 3 U.S. wireless carriers; all three U.S. facilities-based operators say they’re not interested. But the overall threat of Elon Musk taking over the wireless landscape one way or another continues to hang over the industry.
Fierce asked for Jacka’s opinion on satellite vs. terrestrial from a technical engineering perspective.
“There’s a place for SpaceX. There's place for all of us. I don't think they are ever going to fully replace us. I think there's a lot of complementary services,” he said.
Last week, for example, T-Mobile announced SuperBroadband, which is a new service aimed at businesses that combines T-Mobile’s terrestrial fixed wireless access (FWA) network and the Starlink satellite network for backup.
Instead of focusing on rivalry, Jacka said he’s thinking about how they can complement one another.
“Starlink can be out there. We can be terrestrial. You put those two things together, and we can help improve your connection reliability,” he said.