Apple's iPhone 5 debuts on T-Mobile April 12 with $99 upfront payment plan

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Customers of T-Mobile, the fourth-largest carrier in the U.S., will get long awaited access to Apple's iPhone when the iPhone 5 launches on the carrier's network April 12.

The announcement was made Tuesday by T-Mobile as part of the company's "Uncarrier" branding, which seeks to differentiate the carrier from competing providers like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint ? all of which already carry the iPhone.

T-Mobile


In standing out from the others, T-Mobile is offering a 16-gigabyte iPhone 5 for $99 up front, with 20 additional monthly payments of $20. With an April 12 sale date in T-Mobile's retail stores, preorders will begin April 5.

Joining the iPhone 5 will be the remainder of Apple's current smartphone lineup: the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4. As with other carriers, only the iPhone 5 will be compatible with T-Mobile's new 4G LTE high-speed data network.

T-Mobile officially announced its new LTE network at Tuesday's event as well, available in a total of seven U.S. markets: Kansas City, Kan., Houston, Tex., Las Vegas, Nev., Phoenix, Ariz., San Jose, Calif., and Washington D.C.

T-Mobile


T-Mobile's new data plans include 500 megabytes of high-speed online data and unlimited calls and texts for $50. For an extra $10 per month, users get 2.5 gigabytes of high-speed data, while unlimited 4G access runs $70 per month. In addition, users are simply throttled, not penalized, when they go over their data cap.

Bringing Apple's iPhone to T-Mobile with full support has been no small task. While the carrier counts some two million iPhone customers among its base ? with about 100,000 added per month ? T-Mobile's reliance on the 1700MHz frequency for its 3G HSPA+ network proved an obstacle for T-Mobile with regard to Apple's bestselling smartphone.

T-Mobile


The 1700MHz frequency, branded as 4G but not LTE, is unique to T-Mobile among carriers, and allows iPhone users only very slow 2G connectivity. Given T-Mobile's relatively small customer base, Apple never moved to support T-Mobile's standard. Instead, T-Mobile has been working to switch much of its network to 1900MHz in order to allow iPhone connectivity. The company will be repurposing its 1700MHz band for 4G LTE.

T-Mobile last year announced a deal with Apple to begin selling Apple products in 2013. Executives from the carrier said in January of this year that customers could expect Apple products on T-Mobile sooner rather than later, floating the possibility of "three to four months" rather than "six to nine."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 103
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member
    Yikes... a $500 subsidized phone.

    Although their rates are likely less than others, so the $20 might be a wash.
  • Reply 2 of 103
    alphafoxalphafox Posts: 132member
    It's $650 retail so $500 is a discount. At least when the phone is paid off you get the lower rare.
  • Reply 3 of 103
    alphafoxalphafox Posts: 132member
    *rate
  • Reply 4 of 103
    zeromeuszeromeus Posts: 182member
    This means the iPhone 5 on T-Mobile is only $499! WOW! That's a $150 discount!!!
  • Reply 5 of 103
    Finally a affordable Choice for an iPhone Rateplan with unlimited data
  • Reply 6 of 103
    alphafox wrote: »
    It's $650 retail so $500 is a discount. At least when the phone is paid off you get the lower rare.

    Yup. You keep your phone longer you save $20/month.
  • Reply 7 of 103
    Just a thought.....could this also indicate a possible April/June release of the 5s? Wishful thinking!
  • Reply 8 of 103
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by Ampsurge View Post

    Just a thought.....could this also indicate a possible April/June release of the 5s? Wishful thinking!


     


    Why would it?

  • Reply 9 of 103


    Wow! if someone did the same here in Portugal, this means:


     


    Paying 100 euros for the iPhone, +20 each month 20 months. And since I am a student: unlimited voice and sms for vodafone (almost everyone), plus 350mb data each month, 7.5 euros.


     


    So I could have an iPhone and pay 27.5 euros each month. I pay 10 and own a crappy Android device.


    This is amazing, I wish vodafone does something similar!


     


    You Americans have no idea about how much you guys are raped.

  • Reply 10 of 103
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,796member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ampsurge View Post



    Just a thought.....could this also indicate a possible April/June release of the 5s? Wishful thinking!


     


    No...why would you think that? What does the iPhone 5s have to do this with announcement?

  • Reply 11 of 103
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by oberpongo View Post



    Finally a affordable Choice for an iPhone Rateplan with unlimited data


     


    Straight Talk uses ATT towers and iPhone 5 can be purchased then just monthly unlimited, cancel anytime.  In my area ATT provides great service.

  • Reply 12 of 103
    Apple is also bringing out an update to have the iPhone 5 support HSDPA on AWS. That means that the iPhone 5 will work on the current 4G network as well
  • Reply 13 of 103

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by icoco3 View Post


     


    Straight Talk uses ATT towers and iPhone 5 can be purchased then just monthly unlimited, cancel anytime.  In my area ATT provides great service.



    I was on Straight Talk but I personally had numerous issues. Again, milage may vary but I'm on Tmobile month 4g now and couldn't be happier. Other nice thing is that T-Mobile will soon have "official" iphone support, mean visual voicemail and facetime over data unlike straight talk.

  • Reply 14 of 103
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by drewyboy View Post


    I was on Straight Talk but I personally had numerous issues. Again, milage may vary but I'm on Tmobile month 4g now and couldn't be happier. Other nice thing is that T-Mobile will soon have "official" iphone support, mean visual voicemail and facetime over data unlike straight talk.



     


    True...everyone needs to compare and get the best solution for their needs.  What works in my area might not work for others.

  • Reply 15 of 103

    This is exactly the type of transaction stream that could be handled by the iTunes Platform Store:


    1. $100 (or similar) initial Purchase


    2. twenty monthly payments of $20 (or similar)


    3. monthly fixed cellphone services fees at various tiers


    4. modify any of the above at any point in time (new iPhone, new services plan)

  • Reply 16 of 103
    Total rip off. So I am supposed to pay for the phone separately and they are still going to charge me almost exactly as much as AT&T does for unlimited data? Now I do know that AT&T 'unlimited' data isn't really unlimited any more, but I expect that T-Mobile's definition of 'unlimited' is a lot closer to AT&T's definition of 'unlimited' than everyone else's definition of unlimited. For this to be a good deal the unlimited plan needs to be about $50 per month and the 500GB plan about $30 a month.
  • Reply 17 of 103

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by oberpongo View Post



    Apple is also bringing out an update to have the iPhone 5 support HSDPA on AWS. That means that the iPhone 5 will work on the current 4G network as well


     


    Please provide a link to backup your claim.  

  • Reply 18 of 103
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Wow! if someone did the same here in Portugal, this means:

    Paying 100 euros for the iPhone, +20 each month 20 months. And since I am a student: unlimited voice and sms for vodafone (almost everyone), plus 350mb data each month, 7.5 euros.

    So I could have an iPhone and pay 27.5 euros each month. I pay 10 and own a crappy Android device.
    This is amazing, I wish vodafone does something similar!

    You Americans have no idea about how much you guys are raped.

    Where in Portugal can you travel about 5000 kilometer in one general direction and still be on the same plan? Lets remember that America is not only huge buy populated throughout most of it. I read that the farthest distance between any two McDonald's in America is 107 miles, which is really just pointing to the deadest areas in one of the Dakotas. Among the many reasons why Portugal and the US are not the same and how it affects the cellular carriers geographic borders are a big one. There are still carriers that are regional or offer regional plans but the major ones dropped them a long time ago because 1) they weren't really competitive since they had invested in networks across the US so they may as well offer it as a value added service, and 2) most Americans travel across areas much bigger than Portugal frequently so a regional or state plan simply would be too constricting for many users.
  • Reply 19 of 103
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


     


    Please provide a link to backup your claim.  



     


    Link??  We don't need no stinkin' link to backup claims !!!!  /s

  • Reply 20 of 103


    There are still some questions.  Are all iPhone 5 models (16, 32, 64) going to be subject to the 20 bucks a month?  What happens if you want to cancel your service after 3 months......would there be an ETF (which means there is a contract of sorts)?  Would T-Mobile just eat the cost of the iPhone you just bought?  

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