T-Mobile’s appetite for more 2.5 Gigahertz is alive and well

T-Mobile acquired a boatload of 2.5 GHz spectrum when it acquired Sprint in 2020, and it paid $304 million to win the lion’s share of licenses in the Federal Communications Commission’s Auction 108. Now it’s involved in a spectrum swap with SoniqWave Network to get even more 2.5 GHz spectrum. In a recent FCC application, T-Mobile explained that it struck an agreement to swap 3.45 GHz licenses for some 2.5 GHz spectrum that’s licensed and leased to SoniqWave. Even though AT&T and Dish Network were the big spenders in the 2021 3.45 GHz auction, T-Mobile acquired 199 licenses. It’s giving up a portion of those licenses in this transaction. The filing describes SoniqWave as a startup wireless service provider that offers wholesale wireless broadband and private network services in various markets throughout the U.S. Its executive team is composed of several wireless industry pioneers who are well acquainted with the 2.5 GHz band.