T-Mobile US

Revision as of 12:43, 28 December 2014 by Kre3d (talk | contribs) (add LTE info)

2G Cell ID Layout

Sector ID Frequency Band Direction
1 1900 MHz (PCS) North East
2 1900 MHz (PCS) South
3 1900 MHz (PCS) North West

3G (UMTS/HSPA)

T-Mobile uses AWS (1700/2100 MHz) and PCS (1900MHz) spectrum for 3G. In some areas, T-Mobile has migrated HSPA from AWS to PCS to allow more bandwidth for AWS LTE.

Cell ID Layout

Sector ID Frequency Band Direction
1,4 1700/2100 MHz (AWS) North
2,5 1700/2100 MHz (AWS) South West
3,6 1700/2100 MHz (AWS) South East

The second value is the DC-HSPA (dual cell HSPA) second cell. So 1 and 4, 2 and 5, and 3 and 6 face the same direction.

Sector ID Frequency Band Direction
7 1900 MHz (PCS) North
8 1900 MHz (PCS) South West
9 1900 MHz (PCS) South East

4G (LTE)

T-Mobile has deployed LTE on AWS (1700/2100 MHz, Band 4), PCS (1900MHz, Band 2), and 700 MHz A block (Band 12). AWS is T-Mobile's primary LTE band. It was used exclusively during T-Mobile's initial LTE deployment in 2013. PCS spectrum began deployment in 2014 as a cost-saving measure to allow rural 2G-only sites to be upgraded without requiring new antenna panels. Markets where T-Mobile holds limited AWS spectrum, such as Cincinnati, also use LTE on PCS spectrum. 700 MHz is in the early stages of deployment and will added to existing sites to improve building penetration and coverage area.

Cell ID Layout

Sector ID Frequency Band Direction
1 1700/2100 MHz (AWS)
2 1700/2100 MHz (AWS)
3 1700/2100 MHz (AWS)
4 1700/2100 MHz (AWS) OR 700 MHz
5 700 MHz
6 700 MHz
11 1900 MHz (PCS)
12 1900 MHz (PCS)
13 1900 MHz (PCS)
14 1900 MHz (PCS)
21 700 MHz
22 700 MHz
23 700 MHz
24 700 MHz

Band 12 has been reported on sectors 4-6 and sectors 21-23. It is unclear what will become the preferred layout.