T-Mobile gets the iPhone, Apple gets fast new HSPA+ network

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  • Reply 41 of 120
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    [...] By selling T-Mobile to AT&T, Deutsche Telekom retains a foothold in the US market [...]



    Not quite sure how selling off a division allows any company to retain anything. Is it an actual sale? Or is it some kind of tricky joint-venture?



    I just hope the deal helps to improve my AT&T reception. Really bad where I live, and not just up in the hills. It's bad down in the flats too, and that's a densely populated suburban area...
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  • Reply 42 of 120
    So are we completely certain that absolutely no part of T-Mobile's network will be of benefit to current AT&T iPhone users once they merge everything?
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  • Reply 43 of 120
    alfiejralfiejr Posts: 1,524member
    it will take some time for AT&T to get regulatory approvals and then get the networks synced - probably just the new HSPA service. not this year, guys. 2012.



    the downside is of course less price competition. AT&T will now has a GSM monopoly in the US. and many can never buy a Verizon CDMA phone because they travel.



    this is a mixed blessing.
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  • Reply 44 of 120
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    Quote:

    Competition and Pricing



    The U.S. wireless industry is one of the most fiercely competitive markets in the world and will remain so after this deal. The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world where a large majority of consumers can choose from five or more wireless providers in their local market. For example, in 18 of the top 20 U.S. local markets, there are five or more providers. Local market competition is escalating among larger carriers, low-cost carriers and several regional wireless players with nationwide service plans. This intense competition is only increasing with the build-out of new 4G networks and the emergence of new market entrants.



    The competitiveness of the market has directly benefited consumers. A 2010 report from the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) states the overall average price (adjusted for inflation) for wireless services declined 50 percent from 1999 to 2009, during a period which saw five major wireless mergers.



    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ATT-to...54577.html?x=0



    Just a reminder folks: One of the conditions that AT&T had to abide to in order to obtain a 5-year exclusivity for the iPhone was Jobs demand that they lower (significantly) the price they charged for data.
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  • Reply 45 of 120
    bwinskibwinski Posts: 164member
    NOT. They issued a press release that they are NOT getting the iPhone.. They may get it if the deal closes... Classic T-Mumble arrogance... The "We don't give a crap what the customer wants" attitude needs to be burned out of these clowns...
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  • Reply 46 of 120
    psych_guypsych_guy Posts: 486member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ruel24 View Post


    This means there are fewer carriers, so service will suck more, we'll start getting less for our money, and they will be charging us more money for the service. Great! There are now only 2 major carriers: Verizon and AT&T, and now only one slightly secondary carrier: Sprint. Everyone else isn't even a player. Less competition means the customers get screwed more.



    Couldnt agree more. We now have a two company monopoly, or a duopoly. Great.
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  • Reply 47 of 120
    psych_guypsych_guy Posts: 486member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KT Walrus View Post


    Nonsense! As soon as the deal is done, AT&T will start the process of phasing out T-Mobile and transferring all customers renewing their contracts to AT&T's network. In the process, old T-Mobile equipment will be upgraded to handle AT&T's network needs as T-Mobile customers disappear off T-Mobile's network.



    In 2 years, you won't have anyone left on T-Mobile's old network and the brand name will be gone.



    You're right. You only need to recall how AT&T swallowed Cingular as an example of how it will go with T-Mobile.



    I just wonder if AT&T will incorporate the color pink into it's overall color scheme as it did with Cingular's orange.
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  • Reply 48 of 120
    psych_guypsych_guy Posts: 486member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by djdj View Post


    AT&T doesn't have enough spectrum to merge T-Mobile customers onto the "AT&T 3G" frequencies. If you think there's congestion now, wait until they add many millions of customers onto the same towers they've been using. They'll keep the T-Mobile 3G frequencies... they're too valuable to not use them. And that network is already running equipment that can go up to 84 Mbps with software upgrades. It would be stupid to turn that off. T-Mobile owns a huge amount of radio spectrum in high frequency band, which allows really fast data transfer. The higher the frequency, the more data you can transmit.



    What we'll see is AT&T phones released that can run on either 3G network. Most T-Mobile phones are already capable of using either one, but AT&T's can't.



    What you will see is AT&T changing out radios on the cell sites where T-Mobile currently have their transmitters to accommodate for the new network traffic. T-Mobile probably either owns its own sites or they lease space on towers owned by American Tower or some other tower company and AT&T will assume those leases and the space for new transmitters. AT&T also has a rather large portfolio of towers of its own.



    I used to be in the tower business.
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  • Reply 49 of 120
    And after the merger is complete. Tmobile parent will use the majority 8 percent to influence a buyout of AT&T or a hostile takeover. Rebrand to tmobile and AT&T will be "gone". Brilliant move on the Germans.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KT Walrus View Post


    Nonsense! As soon as the deal is done, AT&T will start the process of phasing out T-Mobile and transferring all customers renewing their contracts to AT&T's network. In the process, old T-Mobile equipment will be upgraded to handle AT&T's network needs as T-Mobile customers disappear off T-Mobile's network.



    In 2 years, you won't have anyone left on T-Mobile's old network and the brand name will be gone.



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  • Reply 50 of 120
    oldmacguyoldmacguy Posts: 151member
    there goes my prepaid T-Mobile with minutes that last a year and only costs me 8 or 9 bux a month. I better send in my renewal 100 soon.
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  • Reply 51 of 120
    aiaddictaiaddict Posts: 487member
    "Neither WiMAX nor LTE currently offer significant coverage in the US."



    Once again, what planet is DED been on the last 6 months? I live in a medium market (not the top 30) and we now have both. I believe the majority of the US populastion has LTE or WiMAX coverage, so I guess over 50% does not count as significant? When does it become significant? When and only when the iPhone supports it?
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  • Reply 52 of 120
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mgl323 View Post


    Will the iPhone now be sold unlocked now?



    Even in countries with multiple carriers selling the iPhone they are still locked to the carrier unless otherwise stated by law. I doubt Apple will change this until the law makes them as this is something carriers that have the iPhone want.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BenRoethig View Post


    FCC won't allow a straight merger of companies this large. This is going to get messy.



    Why not? I think it can happen, but I worry that if does that Verizon will use that precedence to buy Sprint, who I thought was hurting even more than T-Mobile.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by some internet dude View Post


    Tmo is not getting the iPhone, its spectrum stays the same, so no 3G service that means no official iPhone. Tmo stays intact as a company for the most part, prices will go up for sure. Well time to look for a new phone carrier, AT&T blows.



    The spectrum is not a big deal. They have a pentaband (spectrum) radio in the iPhone 4 with out 4 of the 5 in use.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    improved voice quality would be welcome but the article doesn't explain how the merger actually improves voice quality. More towers isn't going to solve a poor voice algorithm. I could stand right under an AT&T tower and the voice would still sound like crap.



    What voice algorithm are you referring? The ones AT&T uses for 3G are good, it?s the only the one for GSM(2G) that are inferior to CDMA?s voice algorithm, but I don?t recall how long it?s been since I wasn?t on a 3G network on AT&T.



    Note: I?m not saying I disagree with you as I do think it?s possible that AT&T could be using voice algorithms in heavily congested cities that do use less data (I.e.: inferior quality) in order to keep the voice as real-time as possible for the amount of connections it has.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nkhm View Post


    Nice to see the US once again playing catchup. I have a T-Mobile iPhone here in the UK and I love it. They have the best coverage, the fastest 3G and best customer service in the UK.



    How is Deutsche Telekom selling T-Mobile USA to AT&T catchup? What carrier buyout are you referring?



    Quote:

    Having frequently visited the US, if I had to put up full time with the lousy service provided by AT&T and Verizon, i'd go mad - I can't believe what a second rate cell phone network the states has.



    I remember how slow the UK was when I was there. Not to mention that quick little jumps to another country meant I had to remove the SIM from jailbroken and unlocked iPhone, and buy another SIM for another country if I wanted to use it. This is not the case for the contiguous US and Hawaii. Personally, I?ll take AT&T?s speed 5Mbps/1.5Mbps and vast geographic coverage any day over the nuisance of switching SIMs over short train and plane rides and the slow speeds I encountered.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by webweasel View Post


    Good question. My guess is AT&T will change T-Mobile's 3G frequency to theirs and allow T-mobile customers to roam on their 3G frequency (like T-Mobile and Orange now do in the UK), therefore allowing T-Mobile customers to use iPhones on a 3G network.



    I wondered if they would do this, or use it to their advantage. It?s hard to had to add multiple spectrums to phones these days. The broadband chips easily support it.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Patranus View Post


    T-Mobile isn't a "large" player.



    It might be the smallest of the MNOs in the US, but it?s still and MNO and 33M subscribers. To put that into perspective. It?s slightly ?larger? in terms of subscribers and considerably larger in area it services than the UK?s ?largest? MNO, France Télécom and Deutsche Telekom (Orange/T-Mobile).





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Eriamjh View Post


    Now, what would be really nice would be is the USA finally had a nationwide network under one standard. Enough of this compatible-phone-network crap. When does that happen?



    LTE will bring us all together. It will take time to get the coverage and to make the chips in phones efficient, and then a long time to get the majority of phones using LTE over the earlier tech, and then an even longer time to final depreciate the older tech that it?s not included in new phones, and then even longer for the carriers to turn off all support for that old tech.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TBell View Post


    This is horrible news for everyone including AT&T and Verizon customers. T-Mobile meant alternatives for people. I am on T-Mobile because the rates were better and the customer service was good.



    My iPhone is happily running on T-Mobile. I have AT&T for my Internet Provider and dealing with AT&T is horrible.



    I agree. Besides going down to 3 MNOs, I fear Verizon wanting to snatch up Sprint to become the largest carrier again and bringing us down to 2 MNOS.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OriginalMacRat View Post


    The chip being used in the Verizon iPhone already supports all frequencies.



    It is up to Apple to use that capability when they release an iPhone 5 using the chip.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ssls6 View Post


    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OriginalMacRat View Post


    The chip being used in the Verizon iPhone already supports all frequencies.



    It is up to Apple to use that capability when they release an iPhone 5 using the chip.



    you first need an antenna and RF front end for all those bands, a capable baseband chip is necessary but not sufficient.



    ssls6?s post needs to be read. Having the Qualcomm GOBI chip doesn?t mean that all spectrums are supported, even though it could be. You still need the spectrum chips and the antennas. This is not a SW update!





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 2 cents View Post


    Change monopolies to oligopolies and you're all set.



    Word!





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tundraBuggy View Post


    So, Will Verizon buy Sprint Now?? If so, now we would have some fair data regarding IOS vs Android. Now that Oracle is going to sue the bloody pants off of Google, will Google still be able to give Android away for free while they pay big royalties to Oracle. This will be interesting.



    I sure hope not, but it seems like something I would then try to do if I were in Verizon?s position.
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  • Reply 53 of 120
    First, this seals things for webOS.



    Second, which goes: the T-Mobile lady, or the Death Star?
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  • Reply 54 of 120
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sippincider View Post


    First, this seals things for webOS.



    How does this seal things for HP?s WebOS?
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  • Reply 55 of 120
    FTA:



    Quote:

    T-Mobile currently offers or plans to offer HSPA+ service in around 100 markets, and has been advertising the service as "4G" in conjunction with the Android-based HTC EVO.



    This statement lacks clarity and/or accuracy. T-mobile does not sell the EVO - this is a Sprint product, running on the WiMax network.



    T-Mobile currently offers 3 HSPA+ handsets - the MyTouch 4G, HTC G2, and Samsung Galaxy S 4G. While all 3 of these are Android-based, none of them are have the same specs (notably the screen size) as the EVO.
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  • Reply 56 of 120
    aiaddictaiaddict Posts: 487member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by franktinsley View Post


    So are we completely certain that absolutely no part of T-Mobile's network will be of benefit to current AT&T iPhone users once they merge everything?



    No.



    GSM voice networks are compatible. There will be more towers with more spectrum to carry voice calls to customers of both companies. This will benefit customers of both, and it happens very quickly since the physical buildout is long completed.



    AT&T will be able to use T-Mobile's towers and possibly radios to expand 3G coverage for AT&T customers using spectrum AT&T already owns (800 mhz). They may also expand the 1700 mhz network onto more AT&T towers, improving 3G coverage for T-mobile customers as well. This will allow AT&T to in about a year expand the same number of towers that would normally have taken 5 years.



    The additional 3G towers also will mean more towers that are ready for the LTE upgrade and the 700 mhz rollout. AT&T is starting behind Verizon in LTE rollout, but they already had an advantage in the ease of upgrade and this will help. If they want to, AT&T may be able to catch up and pass Verizon's LTE coverage fairly quickly.
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  • Reply 56 of 120
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    How does this seal things for HP’s WebOS?



    It doesn't. WebOS was abandoned as a SmartPhone OS last year in favor continuing its development as a tablet platform.



    Apples and oranges if you ask me.
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  • Reply 58 of 120
    aiaddictaiaddict Posts: 487member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by HamNCheese View Post


    FTA:







    This statement lacks clarity and/or accuracy. T-mobile does not sell the EVO - this is a Sprint product, running on the WiMax network.



    T-Mobile currently offers 3 HSPA+ handsets - the MyTouch 4G, HTC G2, and Samsung Galaxy S 4G. While all 3 of these are Android-based, none of them are have the same specs (notably the screen size) as the EVO.



    Look at the author. Almost everything he writes lacks accuracy.
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  • Reply 59 of 120
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AIaddict View Post


    "Neither WiMAX nor LTE currently offer significant coverage in the US."



    Once again, what planet is DED been on the last 6 months? I live in a medium market (not the top 30) and we now have both. I believe the majority of the US populastion has LTE or WiMAX coverage, so I guess over 50% does not count as significant? When does it become significant? When and only when the iPhone supports it?



    How about we get actual telephony in places first? I live in northeastern Indiana, and AT&T still has no service here at all.



    Centennial did. Then they were purchased by AT&T and the service went away. No phone, much less 3G.
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  • Reply 60 of 120
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    How about we get actual telephony in places first? I live in northeastern Indiana, and AT&T still has no service here at all.



    Centennial did. Then they were purchased by AT&T and the service went away. No phone, much less 3G.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AIaddict View Post


    "Neither WiMAX nor LTE currently offer significant coverage in the US."



    Once again, what planet is DED been on the last 6 months? I live in a medium market (not the top 30) and we now have both. I believe the majority of the US populastion has LTE or WiMAX coverage, so I guess over 50% does not count as significant? When does it become significant? When and only when the iPhone supports it?



    I'm not sure where you get your numbers from, but last I checked, WiMax *only* made it to medium markets (meaning it was not rolled out in larger markets due to their size and cost.) This is why cities like Baltimore were among the first to get WiMax service, rather than the likes of NYC, Chicago, LA, etc.



    Judging by the coverage map (as of today) - WiMax doesn't have 1/2 the coverage that T-Mobile has. Verizon has even less, and AT&T has no 4G signal yet. So, no - the "majority" does not have 4G signal at this time, unless it's that of T-Mobile's HSPA+ network.
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