T-Mobile rumored to be readying Android phone for 3G launch
Word in the blogosphere is that T-Mobile USA will include a Google Android phone as part of its nationwide 3G wireless network launch later this year.
Several blogs reported Monday that T-Mobile is set to offer service in some 20-plus cities starting October 1. And the carrier plans to include the HTC Dream smartphone as one of its first 3G phones to launch with the network, according to reports.
T-Mobile started offering 3G service in New York City in May. And the company said at the launch it would roll out the service in other top markets by the end of the year. Separately, T-Mobile has said it will be offering an Android handset in the fourth quarter, which many believe will be the HTC Dream. But until now, the 3G network launch and the availability of the Android handset were not linked.
Now the rumor mill is churning that T-Mobile will offer the new Android phone along with three others including, the Sony Ericsson Z780, a high-end Samsung camera phone, and possibly the Motorola ZINE ZN5.
A T-Mobile spokeswoman reiterated that T-Mobile expects to launch the 3G service in 20 to 25 markets by the end of 2008, but she wouldn't specify when these cities would go live. As for the talk of the HTC Android phone launching with the 3G network, she said that T-Mobile doesn't comment on rumors.
T-Mobile, which is a distant fourth place in the U.S. wireless market with about 29 million customers at the end of December, spent more than $4 billion to buy spectrum in the 2006 Advanced Wireless Service auction held by the Federal Communications Commission. The new spectrum more than doubled the company's spectrum offering and finally gave it the necessary bandwidth to build a high-speed wireless network.
The nationwide roll-out should help the company compete more directly with other major carriers such as AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint Nextel.
Some of the other cities where T-Mobile is expected to offer its 3G service by the end of the year, include: Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Birmingham, Ala.; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Detroit; Houston; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Memphis,Tenn.; Miami; Minneapolis; Long Island, N.Y.; Orlando, Fla.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; Sacramento, Calif.; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Tampa, Fla.; and Washington, D.C.
Android is a new mobile operating system that's being developed by Google. Recently, a report in The Wall Street Journal indicated that the new software had hit some snags and phones using the operating system wouldn't be ready until the fourth quarter instead of being available in the third quarter.
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If by 4G you mean WiMAX, well Sprint/Clearwire is the only entity in the US that is rolling out nationwide coverage. Who is to say that T-Mobile won't buy out Sprint/Clearwire?
The key is Android - will it prove to be the killer alternative to iPhone and AT&T? If so, T-Mobile definitely planned 3G right. If not, then maybe it should have jumped into bed with WiMAX. But skip 3G for LTE? I doubt that makes any sense - they need to maintain subscriber growth - waiting for LTE will absolutely kill T-Mobile.
Love T-mobile! Best customer service ever! Oh and I have awesome coverage wherever I go.
t-mobile is garbage. i send text msg using t-mobile and the receiver get the msg hrs or days later and many time they never receive the text msg. And funny how i called a t-mobile phone and someone else on a totally different number pickup... what is up with that??? t-mobile has been improving but it will never be compare to sprint/verizon.
btw you typical cellphone users are saying t-mobile has the best customer service allll because when u call to fix a problem or error t-mobile always give u free minutes or credit etc... obviously this is the reason but that doesnt fix their crappy network. I have never never ever not once have had a problem with the sprint or verizon network and therefore I don't have a reason to call customer service. I would never forget how I was getting up to 500 free mins from tmobile just because of the problems I had with their network. lets not forget t-mobile was Voistream and before that it had another name but i forgot LOL
And with this More than Doubling their Spectrum, it's Only going to get Better and SOon!!!!
I couldnt be MORE happy with TMo, Been with them over 8 years now and Plan on Sticking with them even tho I havent even have had a Contract for Years, I STILL Stay with them because of such great Service and Exciting Plans this year makes it Even better!
WHoot!!!! - D
And with this More than Doubling their Spectrum, it's Only going to get Better and SOon!!!!
I couldnt be MORE happy with TMo, Been with them over 8 years now and Plan on Sticking with them even tho I havent even have had a Contract for Years, I STILL Stay with them because of such great Service and Exciting Plans this year makes it Even better!
WHoot!!!! - D
Clearwire/Sprint will not reach even halfway towards nationwide coverage for WiMax for at least another couple years. For me, I don't care. I'm not going to use WiMax for VOIP (at least in the near future) - I'm going to use it for my anywhere internet connection (and bypass both coax and copper - forget fios, they're slow to expand beyond their current market base), so it does not matter who my cell phone company is (T-Mobile as a matter of fact). It also helps that I'm in the market where the earliest true WiMax is going to be rolled out. The existing markets Clearwire serves is considered pre-WiMax, so they're considerably slower than the real deal. For more information on Clearwire/Sprint's WiMax, take a look at their SEC filings from this past June.
Also, ALL cell phone service companies give you minutes if you have a complaint - I used to be with Sprint, and when I called, they would offer extra minutes.