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T-Mobile Boosts LTE Speeds in NYC, Teases Un-Carrier 8.0

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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T-Mobile is speeding up its LTE service in New York City, in a big way.

The company on Monday announced that its new Wideband LTE, which boosts network speeds up to 50 percent, is now live throughout the greater NYC metro area. Some in the area have already reported download speeds in excess of 100Mbps, T-Mobile said, though the average speed in the region is closer to 22.2 Mbps.

Wideband LTE increases bandwidth and capacity on T-Mobile's network to serve faster peak network speeds. This means that there's more lanes for T-Mobile LTE customers to use, much like Verizon's "XLTE" and Sprint's "Spark." With Wideband LTE, customers can download a 90-minute HD movie on their phone or tablet in just 3.5 minutes, or an album in just nine seconds, with peak download speeds, T-Mobile said.

In the NYC area, the network covers customers in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island, and Northern NJ. At this point, T-Mobile wideband LTE is available in 27 markets.

"New Yorkers deserve a network that moves at the blazing speed of this amazing city," T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray said in a statement. "Our LTE network was already fastest here. Now, with the launch of Wideband LTE, we've widened our lead even further throughout the greater metro area. We are working relentlessly to bring more Wideband LTE to more markets in 2015 for our customers to enjoy."

Meanwhile, expect more news from T-Mobile tomorrow. The company is planning to unveil one of its "biggest and boldest moves yet" at an event Tuesday dubbed "Un-carrier 8.0." At previous un-carrier events, T-Mobile announced its Music Freedom program and an initiative to improve Wi-Fi calling.

"This one is so big we had to keep it a surprise," T-Mobile teased Monday. The event will be live-streamed on T-Mobile's website starting at 10:30 ET Tuesday; stay tuned for all the news.

In October, T-Mobile turned on "wideband LTE" in San Francisco following a launch the previous week in Connecticut.

One of the devices on which you can test out LTE, meanwhile, is the Nexus 9 tablet, which arrived at T-Mobile last week. See more in the slideshow above and the video below.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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