It's no secret that iPhone users have been quietly slipping over to T-Mobile here in the U.S. -- all it takes is an unlocked device to free you from AT&T's ball and chain. Unfortunately, the iPhone can't take advantage of T-Mo's 3G network -- but that will soon change.
AllThingsD is reporting that T-Mobile is taking more than one big leap forward this year, as part of a $4 billion network upgrade in the wake of the AT&T acquisition fizzling. While most of the upgrade is about bringing 4G LTE to the magenta network next year, the upgrades will also have a welcome side effect for iPhone users.
"At a dinner event in New Orleans on Monday, CTO Neville Ray said that the effort to reclaim some of its 1900MHz spectrum should reach a critical mass in the fourth quarter of this year, allowing the company to more aggressively court AT&T subscribers that are no longer under contract," the report reveals.
Of course, this has already been going on for years thanks to jailbreak-based unlocks, but with AT&T now officially (and permanently) unlocking out of contract iPhone 4 and earlier handsets, T-Mobile may soon benefit thanks to the company's far more generous prepaid plans.
However, unlocked iPhone users have had to contend with slower EDGE data speeds on T-Mobile, because Apple's handset does not include the compatible radio band needed for their 3G network -- which is where the current upgrades come in. Q4 also happens to be when Apple is expected to introduce a new iPhone, so T-Mobile's timing couldn't be better, given that they're the only one of the four major carriers in the U.S. to not sell the device.
T-Mobile also announced that the company is partnering with Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks as part of the expansion.
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