RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – T-Mobile is rapidly ramping up plans for an aggressive rollout of 5G and wireless internet services across North Carolina. It’s already hiring additional help, including what the communications provider is calling “Hometown Experts” to help consumers and businesses get started with faster services than traditional 4G.

Efforts in North Carolina are part of a national plan unveiled on Wednesday, one that puts emphasis on smaller communities as T-Mobile and competitors AT&T as well as Verizon make 5G coverage much more readily available. It’s called #5GForAll.

“T-Mobile is investing in small town communities across the country as a part of the company’s initiative to provide #5GForAll. North Carolina is a priority for T-Mobile’s 5G network efforts,” a T-Mobile spokesperson tells WRAL TechWire. “T-Mobile is invested in bringing access to 5G network to rural areas across America, including North Carolina communities like Raleigh-Cary, Morehead City, Winston-Salem, and more.

“North Carolina is also included in T-Mobile’s commitment to creating 7,500 jobs over the next few years – with Hometown Expert positions currently available in Mt. Airy and Rocky Mount, NC.”

Open jobs also are posted for several communities across the Triangle.

[For jobs information, visit this site: https://www.t-mobile.com/HometownJobs ]

Hometown Experts are individuals who will be working to sell and service T-Mobile’s 5G outside of local stores.

$25M in grants, trade-in plans

The company also is making $25 million in grants targeting smaller communities “to help fund community development projects in rural areas across the country to jumpstart stalled projects and get new ones off the ground.”

T-Mobile also is offering a variety of phone trade-in plans and service choices designed to attract consumers to 5G service.

“This is the moment we’ve been working toward since we shared our vision for a faster, more inclusive future — a vision we called 5G for All — when we announced our plans to merge with Sprint three years ago,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “We’re quite literally the only company that can kickstart this new era of connectivity, that has the network to upgrade America’s phones, homes and small towns to 5G. And we’re just getting started.”

Wireless broadband

As for the 5G wireless internet, the spokesperson said the company is expanding coverage areas through cellular towers.and customers are not going to have to worry about additional gear.

“T-Mobile Home Internet service makes use of the same great 5G network T-Mobile smartphones run on, depending on network capacity eligibility in the area,” the spokesperson said.

“Service is received through T-Mobile High-Speed Internet Gateway (which combines the capabilities of a router and a modem). The Gateway device then converts 5G signal to Wi-Fi and provides a Wi-Fi signal accessible by all the devices in your home.”

Users also don’t necessarily have to be T-Mobile cellular customers in order to access the internet.

“T-Mobile Home Internet is available to everyone at an eligible address, regardless of whether you are a current T-Mobile customer or not,” the spokesperson said.

North Carolina markets

5-G service is being deployed across these North Carolina cities and communities, according to a list provided by T-Mobile:

Greenville
Morehead City
Wilmington
New Bern
Goldsboro
Henderson
Winston-Salem
Brevard
Durham-Chapel Hill
Fayetteville
Wilson
Raleigh-Cary
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
Greensboro-High Point
Washington
Lumberton
Jacksonville
Laurinburg
Burlington
Marion
Shelby
Boone
Forest City
Cullowhee
Asheville
Rockingham
Mount Airy
North Wilkesboro
Pinehurst-Southern Pines
Sanford
Rocky Mount
Kill Devil Hills
Kinston
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia