T-Mobile and FOX Television Stations this week announced an agreement to repack the network’s 600 MHz spectrum ahead of schedule.
The wireless carrier said that the partnership would move the repacking process up by 16 months and save millions under the FCC’s $1.75 billion repack fund.
The deal, in particular, would move New Jersey-based WWOR-TV, which serves New York City, to another frequency early next year — more than a year ahead of the FCC’s August 2019 deadline — and bolster T-Mobile’s coverage and capacity in the New York metro area.
T-Mobile previously announced a partnership with public broadcasting stations to help fund the moves of rural broadcast facilities to new frequencies.
“We’re committed to working with broadcasters across the country to clear 600 MHz spectrum, so we can preserve programming and bring increased wireless choice and competition across the country,” T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray said in a statement.