While many operators are focused on securing more spectrum in capacity bands around 3.5 GHz, some are starting to lobby for bigger allowances in the sub-GHz coverage bands, often to improve the economics of deploying 5G Standalone (SA), which needs to achieve broad coverage without being able to rely on the 4G anchor network, as Non-Standalone mode does. It is not coincidence that T-Mobile USA, the first major carrier in the world to deploy 5G SA at scale, had taken a coverage-driven approach to 5G even in the NSA phase, leveraging its substantial investment in 600 MHz spectrum. More typically, operators have deployed 5G to add capacity, using midband frequencies, and relied on 4G for coverage. If they are to … Continue reading German MNOs call for 600 MHz to be freed up for 5G, but not via auction