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T-Mobile (Finally) Launches 3G in US
(07 May 2008, BWCS Staff)A mere four and a half years after some of its competitors, T-Mobile USA has finally launched its 3G network. However, the German-owned operator has only rolled out services in New York and is selling only a handful of compatible phones.
In part the delay has been down to the US government which until recently had failed to clear the spectrum that T-Mobile won back in August 2006, for its use. However, that apart, many analysts have expressed surprise that the company has chosen to launch the service with no real eye-catching devices and instead offer only four "mid-range" smart phones capable of hooking up to the new faster network.
From the beginning, the mobile data rates available will be much the same as T-Mobile's already available EDGE service, although T-Mobile will begin selling phones compatible with HSDPA later this year. The company said that these should offer an average data rate of 600kbps with a peak of 1 Mbps. T-Mobile also said that its pricing may change when HSDPA comes in.
The speed of the rollout of 3G to other cities is now said to be dependent on how fast the company can get new equipment up and running. T-Mobile USA had 28.7 million subscribers at the end of 2007 and is due to announce new earnings figures and subscriber numbers for the first quarter of this year, later this week. T-Mobile USA's parent company, Deutsche Telekom, is said to be investigating a possible bid for control of Sprint Nextel, the third-largest cellular operator in the US.
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