T-Mobile to give customers MLB.tv access, and perhaps better balls and strikes

What you need to know

  • T-Mobile is using a private 5G network to power Major League Baseball’s ABS system in Spring Training this year.
  • Free MLB.tv access is available for T-Mobile customers for the 10th straight MLB season.
  • You can claim your season-long MLB.tv subscription for free in the T-Life app late next month.

For the first time, Major League Baseball players in Spring Training will be able to challenge a ball or strike call on a thrown pitch using an automatic ball-strike (ABS) system. It won’t impact the 2025 regular season — the ABS system is currently in the testing stage at Spring Training for about 60% of games — but it is a big deal for the sport. As it turns out, the ABS system is powered by a private T-Mobile 5G network, as the carrier announced today, Feb. 21.

T-Mobile is the official wireless parter of MLB, and thus it’s using a private network under its Advanced Network Solution (ANS) umbrella to provide a 5G connection for the ABS system. Hawk-Eye cameras set up by MLB are positioned around Spring Training stadiums to “triangulate” the strike zone, T-Mobile says. From there, the private ANS network from T-Mobile transmits data to and from parts of the ABS system over 5G.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *