News
T-Mobile capable iPhone rumor reemerges
By Charles Starrett
Contributing Editor
Published: Friday, September 10, 2010
News Categories: iPhone
According to comments made by an executive vice president of Canada’s Quebecor, which today launched a new mobile service through its Vidéotron brand, Apple is building an iPhone compatible with the 3G network operated by T-Mobile USA. Engadget Mobile reports that the exec said Apple is in the process of manufacturing an AWS-compliant iPhone, and to “expect an announcement in the coming months” regarding the device’s launch on Vidéotron. Notably, both Vidéotron and T-Mobile USA offer 3G service over AWS, which uses the 1700 and 2100 MHz bands. The current iPhone 4 supports 3G service on the 2100 MHz band but not the 1700. This is the second time this week a T-Mobile USA-compatible iPhone has been mentioned in the press; Wired Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson recently tweeted that a T-Mobile manager “casually mentioned to [him] that they’re going to get the iPhone 3GS (but not 4, oddly) later this year.” [via AppleInsider]
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1
How exactly would expanding network availability in the U.S. and Canada be a good thing by using last year’s phone model? Is this some bone they’re throwing AT&T and the primary Canada carrier (name escapes me at the moment) - ending the exclusivity contract but otherwise treating other customers like they’re unworthy peasants.
Posted by Code Monkey in Midstate New York on September 11, 2010 at 7:40 AM (PST)
2
While it may possibly be a U.S. issue, there really isn’t any “primary” Canadian carrier any more for the iPhone 4. Rogers and Fido were the first carriers to launch the iPhone in Canada, but that wasn’t due to any exclusivity deals with Apple but rather being the only GSM/3G networks available at the time. As soon as Bell and Telus upgraded their networks to provide 3G service for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Apple was more than happy to let them sell the iPhone also on the exact same playing field.
Apple actually didn’t sign any new exclusivity contracts beyond those carriers that sold the original iPhone, although most of those contracts have continued through subsequent models. Carriers that began with the iPhone 3G had no exclusivity deals with Apple since by then Apple had reverted to the same “carrier-subsidy” model used by other cell phone manufacturers rather than the profit-sharing model that was used for the original iPhone.
That said, the issue could still very well have something to do with the AT&T exclusivity contract in the U.S., assuming there’s even any truth in these rumours at all.
Posted by Jesse Hollington in Toronto on September 11, 2010 at 8:57 AM (PST)
3
“Rogers”, that’s what I was thinking of, didn’t realize there wasn’t a similar arrangement for them as AT&T in the U.S.. Thanks for the information on that.
That makes this more of a head scratcher if there’s truth behind the rumor.
Posted by Code Monkey in Midstate New York on September 11, 2010 at 12:49 PM (PST)
4
While it seems like bottom-feeding for T-Mo to accept an old-generation iPhone instead of the latest and greatest version, the company could certainly use ANY push it can get. But this pattern—if true—is par for their course; the other carriers seem to get the best, latest-and-greatest phones and devices, while T-Mo settles for whatever’s left. Deutsche Telekom for whatever reason doesn’t see fit to provide T-Mobile with the resources to compete for the best gear. But if indeed T-Mo is going to get the 3GS, it does seem that the road is set for them to get latest gen versions at some point, though I would bet that this won’t happen until AT&T’s exclusivity deal expires in 2012.
Posted by make_or_break on September 11, 2010 at 8:51 PM (PST)