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T-Mobile's 3G Plan Details Coming December 6th?
We've heard things like this before without results, but The Inquirer is reporting that a reader was tipped off to TMO US 3G handsets and plans. That rep replied with a date of December 6th, citing internal docs. It's a thin thread to hang this rumour off of, but last September, T-Mobile won an auction for 2100 and 1700MHz bands covering 474 million people. One would hope they're pulling the trigger sooner or later on 3G. I mean, their attempts to blanket the country in Wi-Fi haven't exactly replaced EDGE. Probability guess-timate: 20%. [Inq]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
raven1
Posted 7:54 PM 23/11/07
Electrictool,
Asian handsets (Soft Bank - Japan) do work on T-Mobile's Stateside network. I work with Japanese engineers on a daily basis and I have been communicating with some via their Japanese "Soft Bank" phones that are active on T-Mobile's service.
I hope they get the system up and running so they can finally introduce those slick phones over here!
raven1
r.p.goodfellow
Posted 5:37 PM 23/11/07
so.....should i hold off on buying the shadow?
r.p.goodfellow
raulr
Posted 2:32 PM 23/11/07
Sneakerfriend, you are way off. First, you can't firmware upgrade to 3G. The phone has to have a 3G chipset. The only phone T-mobile has capable of 3G available now is the Samsung T639.
Secondly, while T-Mobile has some 2100 Mhz spectrum, the slice of spectrum they own is at a different range of the band than the Euro 2100 Mhz spectrum. So existing handsets with 2100 will not work. It will make it easier/cheaper to develop future chipsets that work on both portions of the 2100 Mhz spectrum though.
raulr
SneakerFiend
Posted 2:06 PM 23/11/07
@ElectricTool: Yes they most definetly will
So this means that all the new sidekicks, and the newer phones that work on 2100 and 1700 mhz would be 3G capable. Most of the t-mobile phones already use 1800mhz and 1900mhz so i'm guessing that when the 3G network comes out there will be a firmware upgrade for those phones that will be able to use 3G efficiently.
Hopefully the 3G network is rolled out soon like in January i've been suffering the slow sluggish speeds of t-mobile's EDGE network.
SneakerFiend
StackyBotrus
Posted 2:02 PM 23/11/07
@ElectricTool:
I believe the technologies are completely different. Depending on what Tmobile plans on using for their 3G (presumably it is a GSM variant (HSPDA/UMTS), then it is possible.. but dont count your rocks.
StackyBotrus
capitalass
Posted 1:57 PM 23/11/07
That's what kept me with voicestream in the first place. It actually worked if you needed to travel.
capitalass
karmavore
Posted 1:26 PM 23/11/07
@ElectricTool:
Yeah, good question??
karmavore
ElectricTool
Posted 1:10 PM 23/11/07
If T-Mobile use the 2100MHz band, would it mean that European/Asian handsets with WCDMA 2100 will work on T-Mobile's 3G network?
ElectricTool
rainfever
Posted 1:04 PM 23/11/07
yeay for 3G (just as everyone else readies 4G or whatever)
...
still i wont turn them away
rainfever
jamar0303
Posted 3:45 AM 24/11/07
@raven1: Those Softbank (one word, no space) phones are active on T-Mobile's GSM/GPRS network only. They don't support the new 2100/1700 network that T-Mobile decided to put in place (rather dumb of them, really). I have one (Toshiba) and it is pretty slick- but I'm really after the new Sharp 920SH. It'll probably never get unlocked, though, nor will it get released in America (stupid American carriers).
jamar0303
ggore
Posted 7:19 AM 24/11/07
So where are the maps that show what area of the U.S. this is supposed to cover? T-Mobile has the second worst total land area coverage of any U.S. cellphone provider behind Sprint. I predict this will never happen, based on past experience. They will put up a tower on the east coast and one on the west coast and then brag about "nation-wide coverage" and then move on to "4g" or the next big thing and never build out the system. This has happened with EVERY version of cellphone technology.
ggore