T-Mobile knows it has more work to do to improve its network and GigaOM reports that it’s going a step beyond just upgrading mobile data speeds. According to GigaOM, the Pride of John Legere has started installing antennae that use 4-by-2 multiple input-multiple output (4×2 MIMO) technology, which the publication says has the potential to make T-Mobile’s LTE network vastly better for end users, even if it does nothing to boost speeds.
The reason for this is that 4×2 MIMO technology essentially doubles the number of parallel transitions that an antenna sends out, which means that there will be more data streams for your phone to receive. For end users, this means that you’re much more likely to maintain your connection to the network as you’re moving around and are less likely to see your download speeds drop if you’re moving between cell sites.
So far, GigaOM reports that T-Mobile’s 4×2 MIMO technology has been spotted in Dallas, San Antonio and Chicago, which are typically three cities that wireless companies use when trying out new technology. T-Mobile isn’t commenting yet on when it will roll the technology out to the rest of the country, but you can bet it will try to do so as quickly as possible if these initial trials go well.
Be sure to check out GigaOM’s more detailed explanation of how 4×2 MIMO technology works by clicking the source link below.
