T-Mobile today released what it’s calling the “first-ever 600 MHz hotspot.” The Coolpad Surf, which marks the carrier’s 29th 600 MHz-capable device released during the past 15 months, is available for $3 per month for 24 months (or $72 total) on an eligible data plan.
T-Mobile says its 600 MHz LTE network is now available in more than 2,700 cities and towns across 43 states and Puerto Rico. The Coolpad Surf also supports 4G LTE Bands 2, 4, 12 and 66, and 3G Bands 1, 2, and 4, according to T-Mobile. Data plans start at $10 per month with autopay for 2 GB of data.
“The Coolpad Surf joins an impressive lineup of 600 MHz capable devices at T-Mobile—we went from zero devices to 29 in just over a year with phones, tablets, IoT devices and now, a hotspot,” T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray said in a prepared statement. “Now along with 600 MHz adding more coverage and more capacity, T-Mobile customers continue to get more choice.”
RELATED: T-Mobile initiates first 5G video and data session on 600 MHz
Earlier this month, T-Mobile completed the world’s first 5G video call and data session on 600 MHz during a test on a live commercial network in Las Vegas with support from Ericsson and Intel. The operator says it used one tower to propagate a 5G signal that covered more than 1,000 square miles. The carrier says it's on track to deliver nationwide 5G in 2020, but much of its strategy, particularly the use of midband spectrum for broad nationwide coverage, is reliant on a successful merger with Sprint.