T-Mobile prepping national 3G for October?

T-Mobile's 3G network could expand to the national level as quickly as this fall, according to reports. The fledgling high-speed cellular Internet access is claimed to launch on October 1st in T-Mobile's "top markets" and will be accompanied by multiple phones at or near launch: one of these will allegedly include the Google Android-based HTC Dream smartphone, which is already confirmed for T-Mobile in late 2008 but hasn't been tied to T-Mobile's 3G network until now.

The launch will also include the previously rumored version of the Sony-Ericsson Z780 with 1,700MHz 3G support, a high-end but unnamed 5-megapixel Samsung cameraphone, and an unknown high-end device; reports speculate that the fourth device may be a version of the Motorola ZINE ZN5, although it doesn't explicitly support the GSM-to-Wi-Fi bridging needed for T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service.

A national 3G network brings T-Mobile much closer in competition to AT&T, which has already had a 3G network in place but is still in the process of expanding service past its largest markets.

Filed under: industry
Other story tags: AT&T, Google, T-Mobile, Motorola, htc, Android, Sony Ericsson, HotSpot@Home, Dream, ZINE