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Report: T-Mobile hopes to start selling Apple iPhone in U.S. ‘later this year or next year’

Thursday, March 18, 2010 · 12:50 pm · 34 Comments

“René Obermann, Deutsche Telekom’s chief executive, underlined the company’s long-term commitment to its US business, but signalled he would not seek to revive it through acquisitions,” Andrew Parker reports for The Financial Times. “He told the Financial Times that he would restore growth at the US business by wooing customers who want to use mobiles that are capable of surfing the internet.”

“Germany’s leading telecoms company was rocked by a profit warning last year, when its US business started reporting falling revenue and earnings,” Parker reports.

“T-Mobile USA is hoping to capitalise on how AT&T, the second-largest US mobile operator, has suffered severe network congestion in some cities,” Parker reports. “AT&T’s problems stem partly from its status as the exclusive network for Apple’s bandwidth-hungry iPhone. The iPhone has provided AT&T with strong revenue growth, and T-Mobile USA is hoping to start selling the popular smartphone later this year or next year.”

Full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Terry O." for the heads up.]

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Comment Feed

34 Comments

1 2 Next »

LordRobin

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 12:56 pm · Reply

Well, T-Mobile is the only carrier other than AT&T;that could deploy the iPhone without Apple having to make any hardware changes. (Only AT&T;and T-Mobile use GSM, right?) So if the iPhone goes to any other network, that would be the one.

I’m not saying I believe this rumor, but it’s not as patently ridiculous as the Verizon rumor.

——RM
TheConfuzed1

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:01 pm · Reply

Not that they’ve announced this ahead of time, it’s likely that any discussions between them and Apple will take a slightly different turn.
TxUser

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:04 pm · Reply

T-Mobile uses GSM, which means it can use an unmodified iPhone for voice or EDGE data service, but it uses different frequencies than AT&T;for its 3G HSPA data. So, an unmodified iPhone 3GS on T-Mobile would have the same download speed as an original EDGE iPhone. As with Verizon (and Sprint), a fully functional 3GS on T-Mobile would require a carrier-specific model.
Zeke

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:13 pm · Reply

My wife has an original EDGE iPhone that is jailbroken and on T-Mobile. We were so fed up with AT&T;that we needed an alternative.
TheMacAdvocate

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:14 pm · Reply

ATT executive: “We need someone to provide a shittier iPhone experience than we do.”
rim shot

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:18 pm · Reply

The phrase..
“… Wish in one hand…….” comes to mind..
Maryland Balloon Guy

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:22 pm · Reply

@TheMacAdvocate Thank you for the laugh! That was brilliant!
NCG598

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:25 pm · Reply

I know of one person that has a 3g iPhone on the T-Mobile network.

We had discussed some apps. Since he had the 3G, I asked if he could look up the app- faster right?!

I really got tired of waiting and stated that ATT must be having problems. He said he had TMobile. So I figured I try to download the app and show him since it was SO SLOW! My 2g, first day iPhone looked up the app, downloaded it, installed and opened before his 3g even showed the app store.

I would not advise anyone to use to mobile if that represents their service. It was eye opening for him too. But, he did note it was cheaper.

I now know way.
Tech Note

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:29 pm · Reply

The iPhone supports all formats out of the box. It would need nothing more HW wise to run on Verizon or other carriers.
Zeke

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:35 pm · Reply

BTW, my wife’s iPhone works just fine on T-Mobile.
Tom Ross

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:35 pm · Reply

Ever since Apple introduced a custom Wifi-less iPhone model for China last year, I have no trouble believing that they would produce a custom iPhone for one of the world’s bigger carriers, be it CDMA, FOMA (in Japan) or T-Mobiles odd 3G GSM config.
Not likely...

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:36 pm · Reply

Not likely. Because t-mobile being yes GSM still uses a different frequency, T-Mobile exclusively uses the AWS 1700/2100 MHz frequency-band, making it incompatible with other existing 3G UMTS/HSPA networks already established in the United States.

So yeah if they want the iPhone, They will have to ask apple to add quadband chip rather than triband.
Beowulf

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:37 pm · Reply

I say the iPhone is will be sold on XYZ Cellular by the end of 2012.

Can I be an analyst?
BeyondtheTech

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:40 pm · Reply

I wonder how hard it is to implement another GSM/UMTS frequency into the iPhone, or maybe it can be updated with software/firmware?

I guess all future iPhones should be pentaband and unlocked.
Rot'nApple

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:45 pm · Reply

Meh, wasted my time reading when I read…

“…T-Mobile USA is hoping to start selling the popular smartphone later this year or next year.”

Later this year or next year?!!!!? How about adding, “or the year after that” for Heavens sake!
Rike

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:49 pm · Reply

Trying to halt defections is more likely.
Tom Ross

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 2:19 pm · Reply

Now we all agree that Apple and AT&T;have hit a ceiling and Apple should expand to other US carriers. While Verizon might be the most desirable partner, giving the iPhone to T-Mobile and Sprint would be a great way for Apple to put pressure on Verizon first. Make no mistake, Verizon’s demands today will be just as outrageous und user-unfriendly as they were 5 years ago, when Apple walked away from them. They’ve spent $100 million to build their Droid brand, why would they even need the iPhone anymore…? Only losing another few million customers, this time to Sprint and T-Mobile, could bend them to Apple’s will.
Lilochris

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 2:20 pm · Reply

NO THATS MORE LIKE IT.

I never got an iPhone because of AT&T;and their prices.

I’ve been using T-Mobile since 2006 and I can’t be anymore than happy with their service. I seriously want the iPhone so bad so I don’t haver to go out with multiple devices ( iPod Touch + Cell phone)..

My old Moto Razr V3t began falling apart after 3 years. Then I got this cheap SciPhone/Cect i68 PHone from eBay for $50 in the meantime. But I hate it. Build Quality sucks, LCD sucks, the camera is so bad that it should be Illegal. SMS sucks, and small internal Memory that it can’t even download large SMS messages. Only thing This phone does well in is how loud and clear calls come in. And thats it.

I may end up fixing the hinge on my old Razr and go back to it as it was a more capable phone that this junk.

Bring me iPHone T-Mobile & Apple.!!!!!!!
KernalPanic

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 2:27 pm · Reply

Isn’t T-Mobile selling the 3GS in Germany? Do they use different frequencies for HSDPA in the US compared to Germany? If not it would seem the carrier specific model already exists.
currentinterest

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 2:28 pm · Reply

Bringing the iPhone to T-Mobile would be great. A little carrier competition would be a very good thing for the consumer.