31 July 2008

T-MobileUSA 3G Gets Official October 1st?

Thanks to fellow American Symbian Freak, the Bay Area's own Snowy101, I've come across some great news to announce!

Despite the common misbelief that at&t is the only 3G capable GSM carrier in the United States, further bolstered by Nokia's flat out refusal to include support for the other American GSM carriers' network in its latest American smartphone releases, America will officially be a dual 3G GSM carrier in as early as 2 months!

In an article posted yesterday on TmoNews, their correspondent noticed a poster on the outside of the meeting room they'd just left. An obvious internal morale booster and proud launch announcement, it reads as follows:

"10.1.08 3G Is Coming are you ready?"

The initial deployment is rumored to be officially rolled out in 27 major markets, with more being added progressively. This is the unofficial list that's been floating around the web as late as yesterday on MobileCrunch.com:

• Atlanta
• Austin
• Birmingham
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Denver
• Detroit
• Houston
• Kansas City
• Las Vegas
• Long Island
• Los Angeles
• Memphis
• Miami
• Minneapolis
• New England
• New York
• Orlando
• Philadelphia
• Phoenix
• Portland
• Sacramento
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• Seattle
• Tampa
• Washinston D.C.

I remind you, this is an UNOFFICIAL list. Some listed cities may be included, some excluded cities may be included. I will say this list mirrors many of the recent 3G test markets, so it looks promising.

Needless to say, this is good news! T-Mobile's lower rates, relaxed credit requirements, top rated nationwide call quality, and award winning customer service should drive competition, possibly lowering costs for both at&t and T-Mobile subscribers. Choice is always the equalizer in the market, and the direct advantage of GSM over other mobile technologies.

Now all we need is Nokia and others to build us some compatible 3G Symbian devices. Their bone-headed move to only support at&t's 3G network after helping build T-Mobile's with its so-called North American models is looking more short sighted and unwise everyday. What do they plan now, NAM1 and NAM2, or a proper unlocked sim-free multicarrier device? Either way, I'll enjoy the good news for today, and hope OEM's wake up and get ready. Life in the fast lane awaits.