T-Mobile reportedly preparing to sell 'against the iPhone' on Sept. 21
In an allegedly leaked internal memo discovered on Monday, U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile notified employees to begin "selling against the iPhone" starting Sept. 21, the date which Apple is widely expected to roll out its next-generation handset.
Obtained by website TmoNews.com (via Engadget), the supposedly leaked memo could mean T-Mobile will once again be left out as an iPhone carrier if the handset is in fact released on Sept. 21.
In the memo to employees, the company notes staff will be receiving training material regarding "selling against the iPhone" as well as updated micro-SIM kits purportedly slated for use in unlocked iPhones. The Monthly4G packages support iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S models and will possibly be used on T-Mobile's recently refarmed 3G network.
Source: TmoNews
The carrier announced in January that it would be offering coverage for subscribers with unlocked iPhones, and went as far as to initiate a support program for its roughly one million customers who use Apple's device.
As for the materials regarding an attempt to sell against the Apple handset, T-Mobile is no stranger to iPhone launches and the damage it can do to a network's subscribership. The company in February claimed that it lost some 700,000 contract customers due to the iPhone 4S launch in 2011.
T-Mobile is the last major U.S. wireless company to be without Apple's popular device, as Sprint joined AT&T and Verizon in selling the smartphone last year. Even smaller regional operators like C-Spire have been added to the list of iPhone-carrying networks.
Apple is expected to debut the sixth-generation iPhone at an as-yet-unannounced special event on Sept. 12, with a U.S. rollout following on Sept. 21.
Obtained by website TmoNews.com (via Engadget), the supposedly leaked memo could mean T-Mobile will once again be left out as an iPhone carrier if the handset is in fact released on Sept. 21.
In the memo to employees, the company notes staff will be receiving training material regarding "selling against the iPhone" as well as updated micro-SIM kits purportedly slated for use in unlocked iPhones. The Monthly4G packages support iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S models and will possibly be used on T-Mobile's recently refarmed 3G network.
Source: TmoNews
The carrier announced in January that it would be offering coverage for subscribers with unlocked iPhones, and went as far as to initiate a support program for its roughly one million customers who use Apple's device.
As for the materials regarding an attempt to sell against the Apple handset, T-Mobile is no stranger to iPhone launches and the damage it can do to a network's subscribership. The company in February claimed that it lost some 700,000 contract customers due to the iPhone 4S launch in 2011.
T-Mobile is the last major U.S. wireless company to be without Apple's popular device, as Sprint joined AT&T and Verizon in selling the smartphone last year. Even smaller regional operators like C-Spire have been added to the list of iPhone-carrying networks.
Apple is expected to debut the sixth-generation iPhone at an as-yet-unannounced special event on Sept. 12, with a U.S. rollout following on Sept. 21.
Comments
So, why is T-Mobile not a part of the fold?
Is this because T-Mo uses an odd UMTS frequency? (1700mhz for the most part rather than 2100mhz). You can use an iPhone, but you'll mostly be stuck with EDGE...
The ANDROID + WINDOWS vendors cartel at work. I said they are cartels.
This is ANTI-Competition.
Lazy corporations will tore the USA economy down ( In the this age when innovation IS the sole opportunity to grow? ). The cheap-minded people will win.
so we're stuck with edge speeds or when are they going to start showing a map of greater than edge speeds coverage?
wait a minute here...AWS on the iPhone 5?!
http://ces.cnet.com/8301-33363_1-57356642/iphone-5-on-t-mobile-it-could-technically-happen/
This is disappointing. Now that T-Mobile is refarming their spectrum, why can't Deutsche Telekom get off their collective back sides and strike a deal with Apple to offer the iPhone? "Selling against the iPhone" is a poor substitute for "selling the iPhone."
Quote:
Originally Posted by KPOM
This is disappointing. Now that T-Mobile is refarming their spectrum, why can't Deutsche Telekom get off their collective back sides and strike a deal with Apple to offer the iPhone? "Selling against the iPhone" is a poor substitute for "selling the iPhone."
maybe they will in three months? that's what they did with CDMA right (three month or so lag time for the first gen)?
Quote:
Originally Posted by IQatEdo
So, why is T-Mobile not a part of the fold?
Rumor is T-Mobile will not get the iPhone until early 2013 due to a variety of reasons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IQatEdo
So, why is T-Mobile not a part of the fold?
I thought T-Mobile was going to be added for this launch. That's what I read a while back.
First AT&T, now T-Mobile
Carriers are real fucktards.
Screw 'em. When all of these customers COME TO YOU with their devices, you don't sell them something else. That's the best sign of just not getting it at all.
Just get your unlocked (or even NOT) iPhone on launch day, walk into a T-Mobile store when they're the busiest, and say you "would have liked to get T-Mobile service on the iPhone" you just purchased, but apparently "T-Mobile is going to try to sell me a different phone today, so I think I'll go with someone else…"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Screw 'em. When all of these customers COME TO YOU with their devices, you don't sell them something else. That's the best sign of just not getting it at all.
Just get your unlocked (or even NOT) iPhone on launch day, walk into a T-Mobile store when they're the busiest, and say you "would have liked to get T-Mobile service on the iPhone" you just purchased, but apparently "T-Mobile is going to try to sell me a different phone today, so I think I'll go with someone else…"
wait, what are you talking about? the micro sim kit is so that when you walk in with your iphone they can give you a compatible sim and get your iphone on the network.
they've been doing this unofficially for years.
when I did this a couple years ago the csr simply told me he was going to throw me on the $10 dollar unsupported device plan.
Originally Posted by bizzle
wait, what are you talking about?
The article… and how they're being told to sell different phones to people who bring their iPhones in.
Screw 'em all, then. If you don't want me to use my iPhone, I won't use your network.
FIVE YEARS and ALL of the telecoms STILL don't understand that it's about the phone, not the network. We as customers will go to whoever has the phone, not the best service anymore. If you don't want to support our phone, we'll go to someone else.
Why blame T-Mobile? They are not to blame. Apple refuses to make a phone that will work on their network properly. I am also not blaming Apple. I am sure they ran the numbers and decided for whatever reasons it just wasn't worth the effort to make a 1700Mhz T-Mobile iPhone. But T-Mobile has stated numerous times that they would love to carry the iPhone and would like to work out a deal with Apple to make that happen. Personally, I wish Apple would relent and make one for them since that would bring more competition to Verizon and AT&T.
With so many LTE bands around the world Apple will not have any choice but to make more versions of the iPhone in the future. I just don't see how anyone here can criticize T-Mobile since they want to carry the iPhone and are doing everything in their power to support it unofficially.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
The article… and how they're being told to sell different phones to people who bring their iPhones in.
Screw 'em all, then. If you don't want me to use my iPhone, I won't use your network.
FIVE YEARS and ALL of the telecoms STILL don't understand that it's about the phone, not the network. We as customers will go to whoever has the phone, not the best service anymore. If you don't want to support our phone, we'll go to someone else.
but the article does not say that!
the article says that when the iphone 5 comes out sell against it by offering customers sims that will enable their unlocked 4 and 4s phones to work on the tmobile network
are you at work and can't read the article or are you going by the headline "sell against"
or am I typing things unclearly it seems like my posts are being wildly misconstrued this morning
@gwmac
the iPhone 5 is rumored to support AWS
Originally Posted by bizzle
but the article does not say that!
the article says that when the 6th iPhone comes out sell against it by offering customers sims that will enable their unlocked 4 and 4s phones to work on the tmobile network
… You're saying exactly what I'm saying. If I buy an unlocked 6th iPhone on September 21 and take it to T-Mobile, I'm going to be pushed into buying a completely different iPhone, an older, less powerful, less what I want iPhone, by T-Mobile instead of them shutting up and giving me a SIM for my brand new device that I just brought to them instead of buying service from someone else.
Or is the implication that people are buying service from someone else with their 6th iPhone and then bringing their previously owned, earlier-model iPhones to T-Mobile to get… additional service on those? What's the point of that? Why would someone do that?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
… You're saying exactly what I'm saying. If I buy an unlocked 6th iPhone on September 21 and take it to T-Mobile, I'm going to be pushed into buying a completely different iPhone, an older, less powerful, less what I want iPhone, by T-Mobile instead of them shutting up and giving me a SIM for my brand new device that I just brought to them instead of buying service from someone else.
Or is the implication that people are buying service from someone else with their 6th iPhone and then bringing their previously owned, earlier-model iPhones to T-Mobile to get… additional service on those? What's the point of that? Why would someone do that?
no, if you bring an unlocked iphone into tmobile they will sell you a micro-sim for it. end of story.
there's no conspiracy and they have no iphone 4, no iphone 4s, or iphone 5 to sell to anyone. they are just now officially supporting iphones on their network and getting ready to offer 3g instead of edge only data rates on their network.
not everyone is going to get an iphone 5 from att. some customers are going to be out of contract and now they can substantially reduce their rates by going with tmobile.
this was possible before but it wasn't advertised and the network didn't officially support the phone.
If you buy an unlocked iPhone 5 from the Apple store then you'll want the least expensive contract for it and now you can do it with tmobile. if you are on att you won't be able to leave with an unlocked iphone 5. they aren't going to sell you one and then let you unlock it that quickly. if you're with at&t and you upgrade through at&t then this deal won't really work for you. this deal is for people who currently have and want to retain their iphone 4(s). and those wiling to shell out for factory unlocked 5's if they are available.
I'm not saying the same thing as you at all. Tmobile wants you to use your iphone. they want you to use their network. they just don't have an iphone to sell you so they're prepping their reps to sell micro-sims to iPhone owners so you can bring your device to their network and become a customer of theirs. LOL I don't think I can clarify this any more
Originally Posted by bizzle
no, if you bring an unlocked iphone into tmobile they will sell you a micro-sim for it. end of story.
Then I guess don't get how they're "selling against" anything.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Then I guess don't get how they're "selling against" anything.
I see. They're selling against the other carriers' iPhone 5 launches by promo'ing their less expensive data rates and value plans (lower plan rates without an option for subsidized phones--that's what I've been on for a few years now).
I used to be on their value+ plan which was unsubsidized and without contract. But the value plan is the unsubsidized part with a 2 year contract.
I just moved to the value plan because I wanted to use a supported plan with full data rates. If I had known this was going to happen I would have stayed on my old plan but I doubt that would have been an option. Either way, I only pay $10 dollars a month for unlimited data because I asked them why people who scream at them get better rates through retentions and pretend like they're going to leave to get extras whereas I'm a happy customer who doesn't want to leave. So please give me the same deal as them I feel like a loyal customer should get the same deal as someone threatening to leave. So they agreed with me and put me on their loyalty unlimited 4g plan for $20 bucks and gave me a perpetual $10 credit per month. Each of my lines are only $5. My two main lines are 70 dollars with unlimited minutes, and all lines have unlimited texts.
that's 4 lines with unlimited minutes, 2 children's lines with 500 minutes (but they gave me family planning or whatever so I can control the minutes, texts, and data on each phone individually), unlimited texts, and two data lines for $98 bucks after taxes out the door
If you're on AT&T (I used to be) you can see the savings are considerable unless you're on a really old grandfathered plan
Originally Posted by bizzle
I see. They're selling against the other carriers' iPhone 5 launches by promo'ing their less expensive data rates and value plans (lower plan rates without an option for subsidized phones--that's what I've been on for a few years now).
Well, that's not against the iPhone at all!
Thanks for the clarification.