T-Mobile said it has doubled the number of square miles covered by its LTE network over the last year, according to a blog post written by CEO John Legere. T-Mobile is on track to blanket another 600,000 square miles of area with LTE by the end of the year. The company claims it is covering 260,000 new homes with signal every week as it continues to build out its LTE network. Legere said T-Mobile has deployed Band 12 700MHz spectrum (what the company is branding as "T-Mobile Extended Range LTE") in 170 markets, which alone covers more than half of Americans. T-Mobile claims its total LTE footprint now blankets 290 million POPs. T-Mobile is so confident in the growing strength of its LTE network that it is introducing the T-Mobile Lifetime Coverage Guarantee. The new Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus support Band 12, which gives them greater access to T-Mobile's network than previous iPhones. As such, T-Mobile is guaranteeing that owners of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will be satisfied with their coverage experience on T-Mobile as long as they own the phone. Unsatisfied customers can seek a full refund during the first month of ownership. Customers who report being unsatisfied after the first 30 days with the iPhone 6s/6s Plus will be able to unlock their device at no charge and maintain the equipment installment plan at standard prices. The unlocked phone can then be used on any competing network. The T-Mobile Lifetime Coverage Guarantee requires customers to purchase an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus via its Jump On Demand program. The T-Mobile Lifetime Coverage Guarantee is replacing the Un-Carrier 5.0 Test Drive offer, which launched in June 2014. Last, T-Mobile announced its pricing plans for Apple's new iPhones. It is offering the 16GB iPhone 6s for $20 per month for 18 months through Jump On Demand. The iPhone 6s Plus will cost $24 under the same terms. The Jump On Demand program does not mandate upfront costs and allows customers to trade in their handset up to three times per year. Moreover, T-Mobile said customers who lease the iPhone 6s through Jump On Demand will be able to purchase the device outright for $164 after they make 18 payments of $20. That puts the total device cost at $524, or about $125 less than Apple charges for the handset at full retail. The Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will be available for pre-order beginning at 12am/3am September 12. The phone reaches stores Sept. 25.


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