We’ve had a few weeks of no details regarding the iPhone moving to other networks in the US. A few weeks ago we heard it was getting close to arriving at Verizon [VZ] and now we hear again (perhaps the second time this year) that T-Mobile will be getting the iPhone from Apple [AAPL].
This rumour (pinch of salt required) indicates that T-Mobile US are very close to closing a deal with Apple which would see the end of the AT&T exclusivity.
T-Mobile USA is very close to getting the iPhone in the fall, ending Apple’s exclusive relationship with AT&T, according to a highly placed source at the wireless company.
Talks between Apple and T-Mobile are at an advanced stage, our source says, and it’s 80 percent likely that the iPhone will be coming to T-Mobile in Q3.
T-Mobile is the fourth largest carrier in the US and has 33.7 million customers of which a lot we expect would want to purchase an iPhone 4 on the said network.
One of the main problems of getting an iPhone on another network in the US is the compatibility between networks. For an iPhone to land on Verizon for example, it would need to have CDMA technology inside. T-Mobile does better in that it’s part way there. We already see some customers use unlocked iPhones on the T-Mobile network although some changes would need to be made to the hardware.
One important point, to which I don’t have the answer, is whether the iPhone 4 is compatible with T-Mobile’s 3G network. Customers with unlocked iPhone 3GS are able to use T-Mobile’s Edge data network, but not the faster 3G, which operates on the 1700/2100 MHz bands. According to Apple’s specs, the iPhone 4 adds the 2100 band, but not the 1700 band, which has led some to conclude that it is incompatible with T-Mobile’s 3G network.
As mentioned above, take this with a pinch of salt. We “hope” that the US iPhone customers will get a choice sometime soon as they deserve a choice. But for now, it seems like there’s a while left on the AT&T exclusivity agreement.
Via: Cult of Mac
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