Crave

T-Mobile turned on its growing 3G network in San Francisco on Tuesday. The Bay Area is the 20th market to get 3G service, and (naturally) it's one addition that excites us. By the end of the year, the carrier has said it hopes to expand to 27 cities.

Currently, T-Mobile operates its 3G network in Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Fla., Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. While the list continues to grow, it's imperative that T-Mobile expands its network and lineup of 3G phones more aggressively as it launches its hugely-anticipated T-Mobile G1 on October 22.

Additional cities that could get 3G by the end of the year include Birmingham, Ala., Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis, Tenn., Sacramento, Calif., and Tampa, Fla.

T-Mobile is denying reports that the carrier's 3G service is now available in Philadelphia. According to a T-Mobile spokesman, the post on TMoNews is false and just a rumor. Still, it does make us wonder why a TMoNews blogger is reporting service throughout the city.

What's more, the fact that the rumors are swirling makes us think that T-Mobile might be bringing wireless broadband service to Philly before too long. After launching 3G in New York City on May 5 and Las Vegas on Aug. 6, the carrier is promising a network expansion to 25 additional markets by the end of the year. It has been vague on details, but rumors persist that October 1 is the launch day for more 3G cities.

Believe us, the sooner T-Mobile expands its 3G network the happier we'll be. We got to review its first HSDPA handsets last week, but we couldn't put the Sony Ericsson TM506 through its full paces because wireless broadband still isn't available in the San Francisco Bay Area. T-Mobile won't release details on network expansion; it only says it plans to add 25 markets by the end of the year. But according to RCR Wireless News, testing and spectrum issues may keep T-Mobile form accomplishing that goal.

And in other T-Mobile news, the carrier has launched its brand in former SunCom markets in the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. T-Mobile completed its acquisition of SunComn last February. It now has service in 99 of the top 100 markets.

Are you getting T-Mobile where you live? Let us know below.

T-Mobile launched a new cell phone on Thursday that marks two firsts for the carrier. The Sony Ericsson TM506 is not only the carrier's first Sony Ericsson phone in a couple of years, but also its first new 3G handset since it launched its wireless broadband network last May. The TM506 sports a slim flip phone design in an amber hue.

The Sony Ericsson TM506 sports a slim candy bar design in an amber hue.

(Credit: T-Mobile)

Features include a 2-megapixel camera, messaging, stereo Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, a speakerphone, integrated Assisted GPS, and basic organizer applications. Yet, its most exciting offering is its support for T-Mobile's nascent 3G network. That means support for 1700 and 2100 AWS spectrum (both UMTS and HSDPA) on top of compatibility for slower GPRS and EDGE networks. On the calling side, however, it's only triband (GSM 850/1800/1900).

The TM506 is more than welcome considering T-Mobile's protracted 3G rollout. The carrier has been struggling to keep up with its rivals and its late entry to the 3G party has been a factor. So far, the network is available only in New York City and Las Vegas, with more markets promised by the end of the year. What's more, though it already had a few 3G phones when it launched its network, they pale in comparison to models from competing carriers.

As the first phone designed specifically for T-Mobile's 3G network, the TM506 is indeed welcome but T-Mobile will have to boost its 3G handset offerings and coverage if it wants to be remembered for more than just good customer service. Hopefully, both happen soon.

The TM506 will be available in early September; T-Mobile has not announced pricing yet. We'll have a review just as soon as we can get a unit in-house.

T-Mobile hits the fast lane in Sin City.

(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)

T-Mobile activated its nascent 3G network in another city Wednesday.

Las Vegas now joins New York City as the only two locales to get 3G service. T-Mobile is promising that it will switch on its wireless broadband network in up to 20 more markets by the end of this year, but the carrier has not announced further details. We're hoping San Francisco gets service soon and that T-Mobile rolls out more 3G-capable phones.

Also in T-Mobile news, the carrier announced Wednesday that its Family Allowances program is now available.

Remember last October when T-Mobile launched the Samsung SGH-T639? Though the carrier lacked a 3G network at the time, the SGH-T639 debuted with support for 3G UMTS services. When we asked T-Mobile what was up, a representative responded by saying that the SGH-T639 "is positioned to be among the first devices to take advantage of a future UMTS network." No, we weren't satisfied with that answer, either.

The Samsung T639, now with (working) 3G.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

But starting Monday, that time has come. Less than an hour ago T-Mobile announced it was launching its long-anticipated 3G network in New York City. More markets are expected later this year, but for now, Big Apple residents can use the SGH-T639 and three other existing T-Mobile handsets for high-speed data. The other models are the Nokia 6263, the Samsung SGH-T819, and the Nokia 3555.

Subscribers using one of those handsets shouldn't need to do anything besides turn on their phones. As T-Mobile said in a statement, "The phones are designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE)." What's more, 3G use will be free for the time being. That's great news for anyone already using one of those models, but other customers will have to trade up if they want to use the new network.

Though T-Mobile also is rolling out 3.5G HSDPA coverage in its new network, currently it offers no HSDPA-capable handsets. In its press release, the carrier said that in the coming months it would introduce its first HSDPA handset and other "data-centric, all-in-one" devices. Stay tuned for more details on what exactly those phones will be. Also, the carrier said it was evaluating whether it would add any music download or video streaming services. T-Mobile is the last major U.S. carrier to introduce a 3G network.

As we expected, May 1 did not bring a formal announcement of anticipated 3G network. But according to RCR Wireless News, the long-waited launch will come next week. The magazine didn't cite any specific sources in its story, but it promised that in the next few days the carrier would reveal its 3G plans for New York City and beyond. Also, RCR refuted earlier reports that T-Mobile's wireless broadband network would not support data. The story didn't give details on potential 3G devices, but T-Mobile should be ready to go on that front. The carrier has offered two 3G-capable handsets, the Nokia 6263 and the Samsung SGH-T639 since late last year.

Without any official T-Mobile confirmation, confusion is rampant at the moment as to exactly what's going on. Though several posters at Howard Forums report 3G is indeed up and running in New York for both voice and data, posters at TmoNews report no signs of 3G in the Big Apple. Unfortunately, that's about all we can say at the moment. But rest assured we'll be watching the wires over the next few days. And we'll bring you all the relevant details just as soon as we get them.

There is quite a lot of T-Mobile talk swirling around the Web today. First off, the carrier announced a new prepaid plan that costs just $1 per day for each day you use the phone. Though it might sound too good to be true, that $1 actually gets you quite a bit. Not only does it entitle you to unlimited calls to other T-Mobiles phones, but also you get free nationwide calling between 7:00 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. During other times calls, will cost 10 cents per minute. Sure, that can add up quickly if you're not careful, but I think $1 is a good deal for the right person. In any case, calling restrictions during peak hours are very common. My only complaint is that text messages are 10 cents to send and five cents to receive. It would be nice if T-Mobile could throw in a few free messages. As with other T-Mobile prepaid options, the Pay By The Day plan neither requires a contract nor does it require you to use a specific handset.

We've also heard some major dish from the T-Mobile rumor mill. The Boy Genius first reported yesterday that T-Mobile would launch its promised 3G service tomorrow in New York, followed by up to 20 cities nationwide. Though a May Day event would fit the launch window that T-Mobile dropped at the GSMA World Congress, we're not so confident that a May 1 date is accurate. Naturally, T-Mobile won't confirm if the news is legit, but if tomorrow really is the magic date we just think we would have heard more gossip by this time. Color us skeptical, but we're also doubting that the rumor T-Mobile will launch 3G for voice service only. Really, what would be the point?

We're more inclined to believe Fierce Wireless, which suggested that the announcement will come by next Thursday, May 8 when T-Mobile reports its second quarter earnings. T-Mobile is the only major U.S. carrier to lack a 3G network.

The latest dish from the cell phone rumor mill says that T-Mobile will switch on its long-awaited 3G network on December 6. According to the a maddeningly vague, and somewhat illogical, article posted on the Inquirer's Web site (no, not the National Enquirer), a T-Mobile representative told a customer in Washington that the carrier would activate 3G service in the Seattle area "on or before 6 December 2007." T-Mobile still has not made public its 3G launch date, but it did release a 3G-capable phone, the Samsung SGH-T639, earlier this month.

While the article provides no facts to back up the prediction, it makes some interesting claims. First, it suggests that T-Mobile could utilize the 2100 HSDPA band in the United States instead of the 1900 band, which is the standard here. (The 2100 band is used in Europe, however.) That seems unlikely for a number of reasons, but the Inquirer also proposed that T-Mobile could pick up the Nokia N95 and N82. Yet the article's most peculiar theory suggests that T-Mobile's German parent company has put it at a disadvantage in receiving 3G spectrum allocation from the U.S. federal government. "The fact that [T-Mobile] is less keen to help the Department of Homeland security in its terrorist sweeps, have apparently locked it out of the spectrum acquisition," the Inquirer said. Achtung! Get out your tinfoil hats!