Brighthand is reporting what I’ve talked about in the past.  T-Mobile now has enough spectrum bandwidth nationwide to proceed with their 3G rollout.

What this means to consumers is cheaper 3G options compared to Cingular, Verizon, & Sprint.  T-Mobile has always been priced more competitively than the competition, partially because of being the smallest nationwide operator, but also because of the ability to run more efficiently than the other carriers.  They have not had to carry the baggage of extremely large and complex corporate mergers of culture and technology.

Another large factor in the pricing of T-Mobile has been its “reluctance” to be on the cutting edge of wireless technology.  For example, their EDGE network has only been online for roughly a year, where Cingular’s EDGE service has been available for nearly two.  Allowing the other carriers to bled on the cutting edge, learning from their triumphs and failures, in addition to allowing time for the hardware to come down in pricing has kept T-Mobile competitive.

Will that trend continue now that the company has dropped $4.2 Billion on spectrum – though I must point out that T-Mobile has been budgeting for this spectrum auction, and had estimated a similar amount aver a year ago for Auction 66.

Only time will tell, but it’s exciting, as now all four national carriers have the spectrum to roll out 3G nationwide, and plan for next-generation 4G strategies.

Link to Link to T-Mobile USA On Track for 3G Rollout at Brighthand.com