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.
Corporate use cases like this one are part of the reason 5G exists. The technology can elicit fast, secure connections between wireless devices. Recently, T-Mobile announced plans to use another private ANS system to power a self-driving car project in Jacksonville, Florida. Now, a similar 5G network will facilitate the ABS system at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, starting today.
For T-Mobile customers and baseball fans, the more exciting announcement might be that MLB.tv is free for the 10th straight season. Subscribers of T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, Home Internet and Small Business plans will be able to redeem season-long MLB.tv access in the T-Life app. Keep your eye out, because a MLB.tv plan typically costs $150 and you can only claim it between March 25 and March 31.
Of course, the MLB.tv subscription doesn't offer most in-market games due to blackouts. You'll still need cable for that, but MLB.tv will work with all out-of-market games during the 2025 season. Considering it's free with your T-Mobile cellular or internet plan, there's no downside to claiming it. And one of the best VPN apps for Android might just solve that blackout problem.
According to T-Mobile, MLB.tv access is one of the most popular free perks offered by the carrier. It says T-Mobile customers streamed 58 million hours of live baseball during the 2024 season, which is a record.
