T-Mobile and Sprint to merge: 5G coverage of 99% within six years

The merger of T-Mobile and Sprint has been a bumpy road, and now the two have made new commitments to the FCC for the merger. It said that the 5G service deployed within three years of the approved merger will cover 97% of the US population and achieve 99% coverage within six years. It also said that about 90% of Americans will have a network speed of at least 100Mbps, and 99% will have a speed of 50Mbps or faster.

　　In addition, the two companies also claimed that the 5G network will cover 85% of rural areas in the United States within three years and 90% of rural areas within six years. Two-thirds of rural residents will enjoy mid-band 5G. And after the merger, the two companies will abandon the Boost Mobile brand.

　　Regarding T-Mobile and Sprint's commitments, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai believes that these commitments are sufficient to make the merger "in the public interest" and said he would recommend that FCC commissioners approve the deal. He said this is a rare opportunity to accelerate the deployment of 5G and rural broadband. In the coming weeks, Pai will submit a draft to other officials in other departments of the FCC, and its success depends on a majority of commissioners voting in favor. Even so, this is exciting news for T-Mobile and Sprint.