T-Mobile has its eye on the in-home broadband market, and if its proposed merger with Sprint is successful, the carrier says it will be able to offer bundled wireless TV and internet service to a greater number of customers via its 5G network.
That’s according to an FCC filing last week, first spotted by FierceVideo, which disclosed more information on T-Mobile’s pay TV ambitions related to its Layer3 TV acquisition.
In the partially redacted ex parte filling, T-Mobile says it would launch a rebranded Layer3 TV offering, bringing “wireless first” TV to urban and rural customers. Its 5G network would have enough capacity to deliver 4K definition quality. By acquiring Sprint, the carrier said it would be able to sell to two-times the customer base and allow T-Mobile to offer the first wireless-only bundle for TV and internet.
In the presentation, T-Mobile says it will compete aggressively with cable companies in wireless broadband and video and be able to offer an in-home product at a lower price than current options in more than 50 percent of U.S. zip codes.
T-Mobile says its 5G network (when combined with Sprint) will be able to deliver wireless speeds of more than 100 Mbps to 90 percent of the U.S. population by 2024. It also expects to provide broadband internet to 9.5 million subscribers, potentially making it the fourth largest internet service provider in the country.
The carrier plans to enter into areas where it currently doesn’t have a large market share, including rural areas, which T-Mobile said will account for 20-25 percent of its in-home broadband subscribers by 2024.