T-Mobile is continuing its commitment to Louisiana with expansions of its 5G wireless services, more retail stores with local employees, disaster preparation and response, and helping to enhance the livelihood of smaller communities.

Since T-Mobile merged with Sprint in April 2020, the company has invested more than $300 million in Louisiana, said David Seale, Regional Director of Business Development Support for T-Mobile. Much of that investment has gone toward adding new cellular sites and growing 5G coverage, particularly in rural areas of the state that previously had little or no cellular coverage.

T-Mobile’s investment in Louisiana included the addition of more than 300 new cell sites and nearly 1,870 upgrades to existing ones. Statewide, T-Mobile now provides 5G service along 99% of interstate highways, U.S. highways, and state routes.

“Residents and businesses in Louisiana today have high speed data and high penetration in areas that previously did not have coverage,” said Nicole Mitchell, a Sr. Manager of RF Engineering for T-Mobile’s Gulf Coast region.

Mitch Clabeaux, T-Mobile’s Market Director for Retail for the Gulf Coast region, noted that while the company has always had a strong presence in large cities like Baton Rouge and New Orleans, it has worked hard to bring that same level of service to smaller towns throughout the state.

“Over the past several years, we’ve built the largest and fastest 5G network in the country,” Clabeaux said. “Through this work, we also identified that many communities, including in Louisiana, had a large gap in terms of internet connectivity. In many areas, customers can now receive internet access through our 5G network, while saving money on their internet bill.”

In addition to service, Clabeaux said T-Mobile has added 35 stores in Louisiana over the past four years, creating nearly 250 jobs. This gives customers the chance to have their questions answered and problems addressed quickly, while giving local residents career opportunities.

“We want customers to interact with us in the way they want to interact,” Clabeaux said. “If they prefer to do that in a store, we have more company-owned stores and company employees in Louisiana than ever before. If they want to use a self-service option, our T-Life app is available in the palm of their hands. In many parts of Louisiana, we’ve also expanded our presence in national retailers like Costco and Sam’s Club. When you go there to do your shopping, you can join T-Mobile or upgrade your phone at the same time.”

Over this same time period, Louisiana has been no stranger to natural disasters, including hurricanes, droughts and even winter weather. Mitchell and David Ide, Director of Network Engineering and Operations, said T-Mobile has worked extensively to further harden its network to help customers stay connected during major events.

“We have become really proficient with disaster planning and recovery. We are also very proactive, nimble and quick in our responses,” Ide said.

T-Mobile also works closely with first responders and government agencies ahead of anticipated disasters such as hurricanes in order to have assets such as generators, Satellite Cell-On-Wheels (SatCOWs), Satellite Cell-On-Light-Trucks (SatCOLTs) and employees in place to restore and boost connectivity as needed.  

“I think one of our differentiators is that most of our folks are local,” Seale added. “There’s a different level of urgency when you are helping your own community. They want to get started fast. As soon as a storm has passed, they are going to those sites and getting to work right away.”

In response to educational needs, T-Mobile has connected more than 41,000 Louisiana students across 40 school districts with heavily subsidized data plans and access to affordable devices to complete their schoolwork through Project 10Million.

T-Mobile also wants to be there for small and rural towns looking to jumpstart projects and build stronger communities. For example, the company awarded the city of Slidell $50,000 through its Hometown Grants initiative this past February to transform an unkempt green space in Olde Towne Slidell into the Carey Street Pocket Park. Dawn Crippin, who helps lead Slidell’s preservation commission, said that revitalization of the space would not be possible without the grant from T-Mobile.

“This has been a vision of ours for a long time,” she said. “We’re going to have an ADA-compliant brick pathway and benches to go along with the pergola and picnic tables that are there. We think the ambiance of the park is going to attract people. We’d love to have brown bag lunches, small bands and community events. We want to create a space where people can just sit and relax and step away from the hustle and bustle of daily life for a little bit.”

Another T-Mobile community program, Friday Night 5G Lights, kicked off last year to help more schools and communities nationwide. The competition gives one high school a prize package that includes a $100,000 grant, a weight room, new teched-out scoreboard, and an epic tailgate party celebration with live music and a 5G-powered halftime drone show.  Along the way, 16 finalists also received a $25,000 grant for their school.

High schools in small towns and rural communities across Louisiana can pre-register now for the 2025 competition or learn more at FridayNight5GLights.com.

T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is America’s supercharged Un-carrier, delivering an advanced 4G LTE and transformative nationwide 5G network that will offer reliable connectivity for all. T-Mobile’s customers benefit from its unmatched combination of value and quality, unwavering obsession with offering them the best possible service experience and undisputable drive for disruption that creates competition and innovation in wireless and beyond. Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile and Mint Mobile. For more information please visit: https://www.t-mobile.com