The T-Mobile merger with Sprint will mean a faster deployment of 5G services across the United States, Neville Ray has said, with the T-Mobile CTO still positive the transaction will be approved.

Speaking with ZDNet in an interview during Mobile World Congress Americas (MWCA) in Los Angeles on Thursday, Ray cited the "compelling" business case of the merger for consumers, society, and 5G advancement.

"The combination of T-Mobile and Sprint can put 5G really on the map in the US marketplace way faster that either company could do on their own, or AT&T and Verizon could do on their own quite frankly," Ray said.

Echoing comments from Sprint executive chair Marcelo Claure on Wednesday at MWCA that the US cannot win the 5G race without the merger, Ray said the combination of the two companies would "actually accelerate that push" for 5G.