T-Mobile Asks to Use 2.5 GHz Spectrum in Maui

T-Mobile asked the FCC for special temporary authority to use the 2.5 GHz spectrum licenses it won in a 2020 auction in Maui, Hawaii, as the island starts its recovery from a devastating wildfire. The carrier has failed to get the FCC to allow use of all the licenses through STAs while the agency waits for Congress to reauthorize its auction authority (see 2307070042). The STA application “may be granted without being listed in a Public Notice because the requested authority is necessary to address extraordinary circumstances requiring operation in the public interest and delay in the institution of such service would seriously prejudice the public interest,” T-Mobile said Tuesday. “The requested STA will permit T-Mobile to deploy up to 190 MHz of contiguous spectrum on” Maui, “using Channels 1 and 2 to increase capacity for mobile and fixed home internet on the island, including the ability to support mobile hotspots devices as part of relief efforts,” the carrier said, noting the STA will benefit more than 156,000 people, based on 2020 census data. As of Dec. 30, T-Mobile said it offered fixed internet to some 13,000 homes and business in Maui. “As the Commission is aware, the island of Maui has been devastated by raging wildfires that have resulted in the deaths of at least 99 people, complete destruction of the town of Lahaina, and damage or destruction to numerous other homes and businesses,” T-Mobile said.