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T-Mobile bolsters 5G ambitions in $3.5 billion supplier deal with Ericsson

The 5G race is heating up.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
Roger Cheng
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T-Mobile CEO John Legere has big plans for 5G. 

Roger Cheng/CNET

T-Mobile means business when it comes to 5G. 

The nation's third-largest wireless carrier said Tuesday that it has signed a $3.5 billion, multiyear agreement with Swedish telecom gear supplier Ericsson to support its 5G network deployment. This comes on top of another $3.5 billion deal T-Mobile signed with Nokia in late July. 

It's the latest 5G announcement as wireless carriers ramp up their investments -- and hype -- tied to the next generation of wireless service. The impending arrival of 5G promises to bring a tremendous bump in speed and responsiveness, leading to new services like self-driving cars, streaming virtual and augmented reality, and remote surgeries.

Watch this: The race for 5G, and a promise to keep it cheap

Under the deal, Ericsson will supply 5G New Radio hardware. (Puzzled by the NR reference? Check out this 5G explainer.)

"With this new Ericsson agreement we're laying the groundwork for 5G – and with Sprint we can supercharge the 5G revolution," T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray said in a statement. 

T-Mobile is counting on its planned merger with Sprint, but is awaiting regulatory approval.

On the road to 5G: T-Mobile touts improved LTE coverage across 36 states, Puerto Rico.

Meanwhile...: AT&T 5G network coming to Houston in 2018, LA and San Francisco in 2019.