T-Mobile announces expansion strategy, increased coverage
Wireless carrier T-Mobile announced a multi-million strategy to expand its locations, while increasing its network’s coverage and capacity throughout the island.
During a news conference at its newest store in Caguas, the first one that fully complies with the company’s plans to digitalize and redesign 16 of its stores, for which it will invest some $7 million.
At 3,800 square feet, the Caguas store is located in one of the most visited and visible areas of the Plaza Centro shopping center. The store will employ 13 people between sales and customer service representatives, which meets the company’s plans to create 130 new positions this year, Jorge Martel, general manager of T-Mobile Puerto Rico, said.
Since December 2017, T-Mobile has increased its workforce by 21 percent, he said.
The opening of the Caguas store is part of T-Mobile’s strategy to rebuild, improve and expand its locations. In December 2017, T-Mobile opened a store in Plaza Las Américas — doubling its size. In April 2018, it opened in the Municipality of Cayey.
“Today’s opening is not simply a new store, it is the most recent step of our commitment to continue investing in Puerto Rico,” he said. “In the same way that, after Hurricane María we invested in our network to make it stronger and better, we have extended that reconstruction strategy to our stores to offer a better experience to our customers.”
The Caguas store is designed to pursue an agile, personalized and simple experience for the client. The traditional counter no longer divides the customer and the representative; now the sales expert uses a tablet to make the experience transparent — the customer sees the transaction and has the mobility to explore the equipment and service that suit them.
In the coming months, T-Mobile will open new locations in Barceloneta, Hatillo and Carolina, where the square footage of the space previously owned will be doubled. In addition to these, all T-Mobile stores are being remodeled and work is being done simultaneously in 16 locations that will be ready before December.
The store redesigns also incorporate features whose needs were determined after Hurricane María, including alternative connection systems, fixed power generators, satellite internet connection, communication redundancy, and microwave connection throughout the T-Mobile network. Also, 17 HUB stores were established to be used in case of emergency, he said.
Network investment
In addition to investing in new locations, T-Mobile announced that it has increased the coverage and capacity of its network throughout Puerto Rico. This expansion represents 7 percent more coverage throughout the island and is the largest network growth in a quarter in the history of the company, he said.
T-Mobile customers will experience improvements in:
- Mayagüez (Trastalleres, Barrio Marina, CESCO, Western Plaza, Holiday Inn);
- Manatí (CDT, Centro de Manejo de Emergencias);
- Toa Alta (Praderas del Río);
- Toa Baja (Campanillas, Quintas del Norte, Costco,Tercera Sección Levittown);
- Cayey (Buena Vista);
- Ponce (La Guancha, Urb. Villa del Carmen, Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort, Biblioteca Municipal, Boulevar Miguel A. Pou, Parque Ecológico Urbano);
- Cataño (Área Industrial (Imperial Dade), Urb. Quintas San Ramon, Comunidad Juana Matos, Puente Blanco);
- Aguas Buenas (Pueblo);
- Caguas (Barriada Morales);
- Carolina (Country Club, Ave. Campo Rico);
- Trujillo Alto (Parque Ecuestre, Encantada, Vista del Rio Apartments);
- Bayamón (Luchetti);
- Guaynabo (Buchanan, Canta Gallo);
- Dorado (Dorado Beach);
- Aguadilla (Aeropuerto);
- San Juan (Montehiedra, Caparra Terrace, 65 Infantería, Reparto Metropolitano, Isla Grande, Placita Santurce), and
- Vieques.
Furthermore, T-Mobile continues to work on the deployment of its 600MHz technology throughout Puerto Rico, which will be ready this year. This technology will offer tangible benefits for the consumer with two times more reach and four times better in-building coverage, he said.
“The launch of 600mhz sets the stage for the arrival of 5G technology. We will continue investing with the objective of making Puerto Rico an innovation and technology hub,” Martel said.
