T-Mobile US expanded the rollout of 600MHz spectrum to a second location, as well as announcing backing for LG’s V30 smartphone and a partnership with Ericsson for LTE and 5G developments.

The US operator, which deployed its first 600MHz spectrum site a few weeks ago, lit its second site in Scarborough, Maine, as it continues to beef up its existing LTE network.

Consumers will be able to benefit from the spectrum with the LG V30, unveiled this week at the IFA event in Berlin, which T-Mobile US said is the “world’s first 600MHz LTE-capable smartphone”, and will be available through the operator later this year.

T-Mobile US, which invested $8 billion on the spectrum in a recent auction, will also use it for its future 5G plans.

John Legere, the company’s CEO, said with the latest 600MHz deployment and the LG V30, “everything was coming together in record time”.

“While the carriers try to fake their way to 5G and back off unlimited to keep their networks from caving even more, the un-carrier is building the future of wireless and a bigger, better, faster, future proof network,” he said.

Road to 5G
The partnership with Ericsson, meanwhile, will see the operator use the Swedish vendor’s new radio equipment to deploy the 600MHz spectrum. Ericsson said in a statement its radio solution is helping T-Mobile meet “an aggressive timetable to start field deployments already this year”, as part of its nationwide 5G network plans.

T-Mobile US plans to upgrade the 600MHz spectrum for 5G when the time comes.

“The work we’re doing with T-Mobile on its low-band spectrum is paving the way for 5G in rural America and nationwide,” added Borje Ekholm, president and CEO of Ericsson.

T-Mobile US is planning several additional 600MHz deployments over the next six months across the country.