We constantly add capacity, coverage and speed to our network:

Cell Site A traditional cell site includes an antenna structure with multiple antennas connected to low powered radio transmitters and receivers. Antennas are usually located 50’ to 150’ above ground level.

Base Station Base stations house radio transceivers and amplifiers that provide linkage to the site's antennas and to the high-speed connections (usually fiber optic cable) back to legacy telephone system.

Fiber Backhaul High-speed connectivity from cell sites back to the core telecommunications network is called “backhaul.” Fiber optic cable is the fastest technology and is usually used to handle the most data (think 12-lane superhighway). Microwave Backhaul In some instances – especially when sending signals over long distances in rural areas, or in places where fiber optic cable is not a viable option – T-Mobile uses very fast and highly dependable microwave transmissions for backhaul.

Switch Switches channel incoming data from multiple locations and send the information to its intended destination. Circuit-switching – used for voice connections – allows for a continuously connected, dedicated path from one caller to another. Packet-switching – used for data (texts, pictures, video, etc.) – divides a message into packets that travel on the same paths and at the same time for all network users.