T-Mobile and NBC-owned station NBC 5 / KXAS-TV announced an agreement to accelerate the repacking of the station’s 600 MHz spectrum in North Texas and surrounding areas.
NBC 5 / KXAS-TV, which serves the Dallas/Fort-Worth area, will move to its new frequency in late May 2018, more than a year earlier than the FCC deadline of June 21, 2019. The agreement allows NBC 5 to transition to its new frequency and maximize its coverage area earlier than anticipated.
This agreement also enables T-Mobile to enhance LTE coverage and capacity in the area more quickly, with wireless signals that travel twice as far and work four times better in buildings than mid-band spectrum.
The agreement is part of T-Mobile’s broader commitment to work with broadcasters occupying 600 MHz spectrum to assist them in moving to new frequencies and to accelerate the process of freeing up the spectrum for new and expanded wireless services across the country. Last year, T-Mobile announced similar partnerships to assist other stations in their moves to new airwaves.
The agreement accelerates T-Mobile's rollout of 600 MHz Extended Range LTE, which travels twice as far and works four times better in buildings than mid-band, to cities in North Texas including Paris, Sulphur Springs, Tyler, Waco and Wichita Falls, as well as surrounding areas including Ardmore and Durant, Oklahoma. And these cities are already covered with T-Mobile’s LTE-Advanced network.