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Geeze, just when we were getting pumped up about T-Mobile’s 3G rollout, we get this news: It’s going to be voice only. So much for high-speed data rates for anyone who has a compatible phone. The upshot, I suppose, is that T-Mo had terrible coverage in NYC to this point. So maybe that will improve a bit with their 3G voice network. At least I hope it does. If I hear one more friend complain about how crappy T-Mo is in the city…

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Well, T-Mobile said they’d roll out their 3G network this spring, and it looks like they’re going to come through. Rumor has it that May 1 is the date, which is tomorrow…which is pretty freakin’ neat. Of course, it’s not official. We’re still awaiting word from T-Mo themselves. TmoNews has a hard-copy clipping, so there could be an announcement this morning. I’ll update the post when it’s made.

Read the rest of T-Mobile 3G network tomorrow?…

How many social networks are you on? It seems that most people are on more than one nowadays, which has given rise to social networking services. These guys coordinate action across a number of social networks, allowing you a single place to keep up with all of your friends and family. JuiceCaster provides social networking services to wireless service carriers, including Alltel, U.S. Cellular, and Cricket. Now they’re adding T-Mobile to that list. If you’ve got of of the dozen or so compatible T-Mo handsets, you can consolidate your social networking experiences, right on your mobile phone.

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When I heard that T-Mobile was rolling out their 3G network in New York City, I figured we’d be talking April/May. Apparently, we’re still a little ways off, though, with the projected debut now in the summer months. But T-Mobile has a plan to go along with the rollout that could bring their customers faster data speeds throughout the city. They’re going to combine the Advanced Wireless Services spectrum with their already-existing WiFi hotspots to create seamless high-speed coverage. This service will extend to 80 percent of the nation’s top 20 markets by the end of the year.

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There’s a tidbit in the Houston Chronicle that I missed on Monday. It reveals that T-Mobile spent $1.8 million in 2007 “to lobby on Internet taxes and wireless issues.” While I’m not the biggest fan of lobbyists in general, some of what they did can be considered “good” from a relatively objective standpoint. That relates to the Internet taxes, on which there was a seven-year moratorium, set to expire in November 2007. T-Mobile spent a portion of that $1.8 million to extend that moratorium and continue to ban taxes on basic Internet content. That is good for all of us. However, that wasn’t what they spent the entire $1.8 million on.
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I’ve long preached the virtues of including WiFi in cell phones. No, it won’t work everywhere, but when you’re in a hotspot, it’s a nice, cheap alternative to your expensive cell network. In fact, that’s the most likely reason why you’re not seeing a greater WiFi phone selection from AT&T, and none from Verizon. Both of those companies have a certain reliance on landline services, and to include WiFi into handsets is to see more and more people using VoIP services like Skype to place calls from their homes. T-Mobile, though, has no landline connection, so they’ve been using WiFi as a competitive measure. And it’s been working out for them just fine.
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Ready for T-Mobile’s version of a 3G network? You might not have to wait much longer…if you’re in New York City, at least. The company spent about $4.2 billion on 120 licenses in the spectrum last year, and has meanwhile launched three phones which will work on it. We’ve heard rumors about the launch, but nothing has come to fruition. However, now we’re getting real word from people who, you know, work for T-Mobile who are confirming the company’s plans to roll out the network this spring. It will be the AWS spectrum, which stands for advanced wireless services.
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As you probably already know, T-Mobile is running tests of their new and improved Hotspot @Home service. The idea is that they sell you a special router, and then port your home phone number into the company. So now you receive calls to your home via VoIP, which is what most of the major telephone carriers use nowadays, anyway. And it’s just $10 per month, so you’re beating the pants off of most deals. However, not all of this comes without a catch (it never does). Gizmodo has a number of things to keep in mind regarding Hotspot @Home, and I think they’re worth sharing.
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Deutshe Telekom, the parent company of carrier T-Mobile, has telecommunications interests all around the world. They’re the largest carrier in Germany, the third largest in the UK, and fourth largest in the U.S. And then they have a presence in eight other countries: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia. Word comes now, through a tipster to Boy Genius Report, that the company might be moving into Canada. This is in no way confirmed, so should be treated as a rumor for the moment. But it’s a rather large rumor.
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So last week we explored the virtues of Verizon acquiring Sprint Nextel. It would make some degree of sense, but in the long run it appears that Verizon can pick off a number of Sprint subscribers free of charge. Hence, they probably don’t have a ton of incentive to make the multi-billion dollar investment that would be required of this deal. However, today we’re hearing, via analysts from Merrill Lynch, that T-Mobile could be the most likely company to take over Sprint. The Lynch guys think that this could avert a price war among the top mobile carriers. Sprint might have instigated one last week when they announced an all-in unlimited plan.
Read the rest of Forget Verizon: Try Sprint/Nextel/T-Mobile…