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T-Mobile NL to use 900 MHz band to boost 4G coverage
2014-09-09 10:05:00| Telecompaper Headlines
(Telecompaper) T-Mobile Netherlands plans to use its spectrum in the 900 MHz band to improve the coverage of its 4G network. This should help improve coverage indoors, the company said at an event in The Hague. It also announced that the LTE network should reach national coverage by the end of 2015. The 900 MHz band frequencies will be deployed by next summer. It's currently reconfiguring its entire network to focus on 4G coverage, first deploying spectrum in the 1,800 MHz band for LTE. Of the around 4,800 network sites, 2,000 have already been upgraded. According to the operator, almost all the 4G devices it offers can support LTE in the 900 MHz band. T-Mobile's 4G network currently focuses on areas where it has the most customers, such as the Randstad, where the operator claims to have faster speeds than rivals KPN and Vodafone, due to more antenna sites and the spectrum it uses. The 4G speed will be increased for all customers in the fourth quarter this year, the company said, without providing further details. T-Mobile networks specialist Richard Marijs said the company does not yet see a need to roll out LTE Advanced, as KPN and Vodafone are already preparing to do. He said the technology still has too many problems to offer a quality service. T-Mobile also announced that it plans to use drones to monitor its antenna sites. The drones will be tested first in Utrecht, and if successful, used more often. T-Mobile said the use of drones can reduce the time and cost of inspecting antennas.
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Category:Telecommunications