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iPhone heading to T-Mobile?

I only see this as a possiblity if Apple wants to go away from a 1 carrier model in the US, but doesnt want to intergrate CMDA with its GSM modle. (Given they are the only other major US carrier that supports GSM). However if they want to go away from just one carrier, then they will have to improve something somewhere.

Verizon/Sprint: CDMA/GSM model
T-Mobile: 2100 band GSM radio

So the only quote left for a multi-carrier model...

"Pick your poison!"
 
Simple, Put every GSM band you could possibly think of and let it go on all, don't limit to just overpriced Verizon(with no SIM cards...YES I know LTE is coming out).
 
well, if Consumer Reports is any indication, Apple should re-think the carrier exclusivity. According to 9to5Mac, AT&T ranks DEAD LAST in the new CR survey. Verizon is tops, followed closely by T-Mobile.

People should be free to get the device and choose whichever carrier is best for them. I just hope we don't end up with 2-3 different iPhone models exclusive to certain carriers, much like BlackBerry.
 
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T-mo, yikes. I have a bb through them, and at least in boston, if you want to use it indoors you'd better be near a window.
 
that would be awesome!

IMO t-mobile is the best...it has great and cheap plans (the even more plans...), offer nice phones and I get decent network anywhere i go...I've had no problems so far with t-mobile...if iphone comes to t-mobile then i am surely buying one...
 
Yea, this is the rumor...

Apple came off about 4 points in the last 30 minutes of trading because of it. (or at least that's what most sources attribute it to.)
 
Whomever they sign up next in the US is going to need a modified iPhone anyway. I'd be glad if it's T-Mobile, but I gave them almost two years now, and finally gave up (I activated my AT&T 3GS this evening after my run).

Meh, I've had cell phones now since around 1998-1999 -- almost 11 years. AT&T will only be my third carrier -- Sprint from 1998 to about 2003, and T-Mobile from 2003-2006. So I'm pretty patient, and it probably means I'll be living with AT&T for a while.... :p

T-Mobile's pluses:
- They have a relatively recently built 3G network with low user base right now, so the bandwidth might be pretty good.
- They have a good customer service reputation.
- They don't have a reputation for insisting on fiddling with handsets or putting up a lot of roadblocks to what the handset mfr's and users want.

Minuses:
- They're not likely to attract a large number of new users, and a new model for them has to be amortized just against sales to new T-Mo customers, since there aren't that many other markets for the 3G bands they use (unless Apple just introduces a new 3G phone that handles the T-Mo USA bands and everything else it already handles).
 
theonekcrow said:
However if they want to go away from just one carrier, then they will have to improve something somewhere.

T-Mobile: 2100 band GSM radio
Click to expand...

Since the iPhone is sold worldwide as a single hardware configuration tri-band phone, it already supports the 2100 MHz band even if AT&T's US network doesn't.

And I think this, more than anything, would be why Apple may choose not to go with Verizon in the short term. More hardware configurations = more trouble. Apple's infamous for not catering to everyone. By keeping the iPhone exclusively GSM, it keeps things simple. And since Verizon is switching to LTE just like T-Mobile and AT&T, give it another couple years and a single model can cater to all three. Verizon hasn't had an iPhone for 2.5 years and they're not exactly hurting. What's wrong waiting a little longer?
 
klrobinson999 said:
well, if Consumer Reports is any indication, Apple should re-think the carrier exclusivity. According to 9to5Mac, AT&T ranks DEAD LAST in the new CR survey. Verizon is tops, followed closely by T-Mobile.

People should be free to get the device and choose whichever carrier is best for them. I just hope we don't end up with 2-3 different iPhone models exclusive to certain carriers, much like BlackBerry.
Click to expand...

I don't trust anything coming from Consumer Reports. Never have read a credible review from that rag.
 
RexTraverse said:
Since the iPhone is sold worldwide as a single hardware configuration tri-band phone, it already supports the 2100 MHz band even if AT&T's US network doesn't.
Click to expand...

Do we really have to do this again and again? :p All GSM 3G phones use two separate frequencies. One for up and one for down. They must both be supported on the handset for it to be able to use 3G data services on the network. 2100 MHz is only one of T-Mobile USA's frequencies. The other, 1700, is not supported on the iPhone.
 
mkrishnan said:
Do we really have to do this again and again? :p All GSM 3G phones use two separate frequencies. One for up and one for down. They must both be supported on the handset for it to be able to use 3G data services on the network. 2100 MHz is only one of T-Mobile USA's frequencies. The other, 1700, is not supported on the iPhone.
Click to expand...

How difficult would it be to add compatibility with the 1700 band? Would Apple need to build a completely new iPhone, or just change out the radio in the 3GS?

If it's not too expensive production-wise I can see Apple doing this. Seems like it would be easier for Apple to change one thing on the GSM iPhone than build a CDMA iPhone from scratch.

T-Mobile iPhone in 2010-ish?
LTE iPhone on AT&T, T-Mobile & Verizon in 2012-13-14-ish? :)
 
i dont think if they sold iPhones on T-Mobile that would hurt AT&T bc some places AT&T has bad service and some places T-Mobile does, it makes more logic to sell them on both networks then to ever build a phone for Verizon. I would love to see the iPhone everywhere but Verizon only bc Verizon doesnt deserve the iPhone and AT&T's service should get better if some ppl leave AT&T to goto T-Mobile, all in all Apple is not going to bow down to VZ. Also the iTunes compatability has Apple locked in, bc they do not allow any other phone to communicate with iTunes.
 
trajen said:
If it's not too expensive production-wise I can see Apple doing this. Seems like it would be easier for Apple to change one thing on the GSM iPhone than build a CDMA iPhone from scratch.
Click to expand...

I think the running rumor for a CDMA phone now is that they'll redesign the phone using a QualComm single chip that handles both CDMA and GSM -- they could then market that phone to Verizon (and Sprint in principle) and in Korea and other places where CDMA is used.

As far as T-Mobile, according to my understanding, it's not that complex of a change, although it would require either making the phone quad-band (for 3G that is) or else making a different model to sell to T-Mobile USA customers. Either is technically possible -- other manufacturers of smartphones do both, and the volumes of those phones are even smaller mostly than the iPhone, so if it's worth it to do it for those phones I would guess it could be for the iPhone too.
 
mkrishnan said:
I think the running rumor for a CDMA phone now is that they'll redesign the phone using a QualComm single chip that handles both CDMA and GSM -- they could then market that phone to Verizon (and Sprint in principle) and in Korea and other places where CDMA is used.

As far as T-Mobile, according to my understanding, it's not that complex of a change, although it would require either making the phone quad-band (for 3G that is) or else making a different model to sell to T-Mobile USA customers. Either is technically possible -- other manufacturers of smartphones do both, and the volumes of those phones are even smaller mostly than the iPhone, so if it's worth it to do it for those phones I would guess it could be for the iPhone too.
Click to expand...

It will be interesting to see if this does happen. I'm a proud T-Mobile customer (with an iPhone) and I'd love to see a T-Mobile iPhone with 3G and a lower bill than either Verizon or AT&T. ;)
 
mkrishnan said:
Do we really have to do this again and again? :p All GSM 3G phones use two separate frequencies. One for up and one for down. They must both be supported on the handset for it to be able to use 3G data services on the network. 2100 MHz is only one of T-Mobile USA's frequencies. The other, 1700, is not supported on the iPhone.
Click to expand...

Did I say the 2100 band for T-Mobile? If I did I meant the 1700 band. LOL
 
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