Looks like that simultaneous, non-standalone 5G NR and 4G LTE connection isn’t the only big news that T-Mobile and Nokia have to share.

T-Mobile and Nokia have struck a $3.5 billion agreement to build out a nationwide 5G network. Nokia will supply T-Mo with its end-to-end 5G technology, software, and services, including AirScale radio platforms and cloud-native core, AirFrame hardware, CloudBand software, SON, and 5G Acceleration Services. This is Nokia’s largest 5G agreement globally.

Here’s what T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray had to say about this agreement:

“We are all in on 5G. Every dollar we spend is a 5G dollar, and our agreement with Nokia underscores the kind of investment we’re making to bring customers a mobile, nationwide 5G network. And together with Sprint, we’ll be able to do So. Much. More.”

And here’s Ashish Chowdhary, Chief Customer Operations Officer at Nokia:

“Nokia and T-Mobile will advance the large-scale deployment of 5G services throughout the United States. This is a testament to our companies’ strong and productive working relationship, one which has produced several important technological milestones in recent months, and which now allows us to make 5G a commercial reality.”

T-Mobile’s 5G network will utilize 600MHz and 28GHz mmWave spectrum. It’ll also be compliant with 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) standards. T-Mobile has said that it’ll begin deploying its 5G coverage in 30 U.S. cities in 2018, including New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Las Vegas. T-Mo expects to have nationwide 5G coverage in 2020.

When it comes to devices that you’ll use to actually get on that network, T-Mobile plans to launch its first 5G smartphones in early 2019. There are no details on what devices they might be or which manufacturer will be behind them.

Source: GlobeNewswire