T-Mobile already rolling out UMTS!

T-Mobile Logo As expected, T-Mobile today announced that their 3G UMTS rollout was already underway.  With 50% of New York already completed, T-Mobile has obviously been active in the background working ahead of the spectrum acquisitions to get a jump on the 3G market.

With a completion schedule into 2009, and service to be available to customers next summer, the rollout is quite accelerated.  BetaNews also mentioned the spokesperson changes, new plan options, and the UMA WiFi-based services announced late last month.

Great news for all Tmo customers!

BetaNews – T-Mobile: 3G Deployments Underway

T-Mobile USA rumored to announce UMTS this week

T-Mobile Logo It seems eWeek and the::unwired are suggesting that T-Mobile USA will be holding a press conference on Friday (10/6/2006) in New York to announce the carrier’s move into UMTS (or 3G) services.

T-Mobile will utilize the 1700MHz and 2100MHz bands in North America, which are not the same bands used elsewhere in the world.  This will require handset makers to incorporate multiple UMTS bands in their devices if they are to be able to roam on any UMTS service.

This news is not surprising due to the recent spectrum purchases that T-Mobile was able to win in the last FCC Auction.  You can find some pricing speculation at the::unwired, and more strategic analysis at eWeek – links below.

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Cingular Network Integration of AT&T Wireless is Complete

Cingular Logo Cingular has finally completed the integration of the AT&T Wireless network.  Its been two years since Cingular purchased the aging network, and they have had several challenges in merging the two companies together.

This is ultimately good news for Cingular’s customers, as the company can now focus those energies on other opportunities such as expanding their 3G networks!

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Link to: Cingular Finally Completes Network Integration (Phone Scoop)

T-Mobile 3G Rollout – Media Buzz

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

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