T-Mobile Completes 3G Upgrade, Eyes 4G
T-Mobile has been slow to counter its mobile rivals in the 3G space, falling behind AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint when it comes to coverage area and speeds; its 3G service is now available to more than 200 million users nationwide.
According to T-Mobile, the majority of its subscribers can take advantage of the upgraded HSPA 7.2 3G network. Most of the carrier's popular devices, including the T-Mobile G1, MyTouch 3G and the newly unveiled Google Nexus One, plus any other device running the Google Android mobile operating system, can utilize the speed increase.
And T-Mobile isn't resting on its high-speed laurels. The carrier is already looking ahead and has started testing the 3G HSPA+ (Evolved High Speed Packet Access) service, which can boost speeds to up to 21 Mbps. T-Mobile is testing the HSPA+ service in Philadelphia and plans to have that service running in several U.S. markets later this year. The HSPA+ speeds are significantly faster than many competitors' mobile broadband offerings. T-Mobile also has current and upcoming devices in the hopper that can take advantage of HSPA+.
Along with HSPA+, T-Mobile is looking ahead to 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) service, though few details of when 4G testing and service will begin are available. T-Mobile rival Sprint was the first U.S. carrier to deploy a 4G network with its WiMax, which competes with the LTE network T-Mobile plans to roll out.