T-Mobile US completed a 5G data transmission on low-band 600MHz in partnership with Nokia, a step the operator believes moves it closer to a nationwide rollout of the technology.

In a statement, the company said the move was particularly significant because it used its low-band spectrum to achieve the 5G connection, which could eventually be key to providing a broader rollout across the entire country rather than “small clusters in parts of select cities”.

Low-band 600MHz spectrum “reaches much further than other frequencies”, added the company.

T-Mobile splashed $8 billion on 600MHz spectrum in May 2017, when it first detailed its ambitions to launch a nationwide 5G network by combining multiple spectrum bands.

Most operators, vendors and chipmakers have been developing 5G based on high-band spectrum including 28GHz mmWave, or mid-band 3.5GHz frequencies.

The transmission, conducted by T-Mobile and Nokia engineers, was completed using 5G global standards in Washington and proved low-band airwaves “will provide 5G coverage across hundreds of square miles from a single tower”, said the operator.

In comparison, T-Mobile added that mmWave sites can only cover less than a square mile.

The company continued to explain that low-band spectrum is essential for wide-area reach and reliable coverage which travels over distance, into buildings and isn’t limited to line-of-sight.

It could also be key to bringing 5G to rural areas and powering applications including IoT.

“The Un-carrier is focused on delivering 5G for everyone everywhere, while the other guys focus on 5G for the few, reaching just a few people in small areas of a handful of cities,” said John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile (pictured).

T-Mobile also used the announcement to again tout its proposed merger with Sprint, pushing the combined entity’s access to multiple spectrum bands to provide “broad and deep nationwide coverage”.