The Huawei Ascend P1 smartphone has now completed FCC testing. The Chinese phone-maker still hasn't revealed any official launch information for the 4.3-inch flagship, and it's missed its originally promised April reveal date. This FCC approval means the company is at least certified to sell the handset in the US.
Samsung appears to be readying a Galaxy S III variant for T-Mobile's network, according to Federal Communications Commission filings. The carrier has yet to officially confirm plans to launch the Korean handset maker's latest flagship device, however the FCC test documents point to a new model geared specifically for T-Mobile's 1,700MHz AWS spectrum.
T-Mobile has announced that it is changing its prepaid mobile broadband offerings to include several additional data caps and a new pricing structure. The one-week pass has jumped from $10 to $15, however customers will be able to utilize 300MB of data instead of 100MB for the seven-day span.
T-Mobile has taken to Twitter to announce that its pair of HTC 4G smartphones will be upgraded to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The first device to get the update will be the Sensation 4G, which gets an over-the-air update starting today. Amaze 4G users can expect to get their taste of ICS starting from May 21.
T-Mobile CEO Philip Humm has reportedly distributed a memo to employees warning of "difficult decisions" as the company prepares to announce further restructuring plans. The note does not detail the extent of such cuts, though the executive suggests it is forced to find a new strategy that "aligns our costs with our revenue realities" to help the company "return to growth."
When T-Mobile releases the Android 4.0 update for the HTC Sensation 4G tomorrow, it will bring with it a mandatory $15 per month charge for the wireless hotspot feature. According to PCMag, some users have thus far got the feature for free. Some other handsets due to get the latest OS soon at the carrier do not carry such a provision, however, including the Amaze 4G.
Regional wireless provider América Móvil and its TracFone subsidiary and prepaid provider have purchased T-Mobile brand Simple Mobile on Thursday. While the financial details of the sale weren't revealed, TracFone is the largest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in the US, with about 20 million subscribers. Simple Mobile, which sells only SIM cards and service to those with their won smartphones, has about one million subscribers and 2.5 million device activations.
T-Mobile CEO Philipp Humm went on record on Thursday to say the carrier isn't interested in acquiring Verizon's 700MHz spectrum if it can buy its own. During a conference call, SlashGear reported, Humm told investors and reporters that the 700MHz block C spectrum isn't enough for T-Mobile to expand its offerings. He added that incorporating it into its business and hardware would take between three to six years.
T-Mobile have taken aim against AT&T in its most recent television commercial. The new advert, continuing the makeover of brand representative Carly into an edgier motorcycle rider, pokes fun at the slow speed of the iPhone on AT&T compared to a much faster Carly on T-Mobile's 4G network.
Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski has publicly fired back at AT&T over the carrier's latest comments regarding its failed T-Mobile buyout. Speaking at a CTIA keynote, Genachowski suggested the Commission's move should not result in higher prices for consumers. He argues that, to the contrary, blocking the acquisition will help maintain competition and may eventually bring even lower prices.
T-Mobile has hired Ericsson and Nokia-Siemens today for the upcoming $4 billion LTE buildout. T-Mobile's current HSPA+ network covers 220 million people in 229 major markets, and the company argues that it can be called 4G based on speed alone. The LTE expansion is expected to be completed sometime in 2013.
Boingo and Transit Wireless on Thursday announced a deal that will see New York City subway stations equipped with hotspots. The rollout will occur gradually over the next five years in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens stations. Users will need to have a Boingo account or access the hotspot network using their Skype, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon accounts.
The failed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile will mean higher prices for consumers, AT&T Chairman and Chief Executive Randal Stephenson said in an interview. According to the Wall Street Journal, Stephenson said at the Milken Institute's annual global conference that the US wireless cellphone market can't support the number of providers as there simply isn't enough wireless spectrum for all of them. He said current stats suggest wireless data usage will grow by 75 percent every year for a minimum of the next five.
Corroborating recent reports, T-Mobile has quietly announced that it has completed internal testing of the Android 4.0 update for HTC's Sensation 4G. The carrier already confirmed that the device would eventually receive the upgrade, however the release timing has now been narrowed to "very soon."
T-Mobile has gone ahead and priced the entry-level Huawei Prism handset aimed at first-time smartphone users. Arriving in stores on May 6, the Android 2.3-powered handset will cost just $20 after a $50 mail-in rebate and on a two-year contract. Contract-free, the phone will cost $150.
The Huawei Prism, a basic smartphone, is scheduled for sale starting May 6 at Best Buy, with wider retail availability later in the month. This new 3G phone will be on the T-Mobile network, and runs Android 2.3. Retail pricing is not known.
Earlier this month, T-Mobile went to Washington to protest Verizon's planned purchase of Advanced Wireless Services airwaves from cable companies, writing a letter (PDF) to the FCC urging the regulatory body to block the spectrum sale. Now, Verizon is turning the tables on its competitor, accusing T-Mobile of hypocrisy in a letter of its own.
An upgrade roadmap has given out tentative upgrade timing for Android 4.0 as well as T-Mobile's next myTouch smartphones. Although details are still in flux, TmoNews heard that the custom, upsized version of the Samsung Galaxy S II for the network would get its update on or near May 14. Those with the two most recent HTC phones for the carrier, the Amaze 4G and Sensation 4G, would get theirs over a month later, on June 16.
A newly proposed Congressional bill on Thursday would set the terms to shift government frequencies to the private world. Known as the Efficient Use of Government Spectrum Act, it would demand that the FCC include airwaves between 1,755MHz and 1,780MHz in the same auction as one covering the 2,155MHz to 2,180MHz space. If passed, the bill would give the related government agencies five years to get their equipment off the network.
The Federal Communications Commission has now approved the AT&T AWS spectrum transfer to T-Mobile. The handover was the result of conditions AT&T agreed to after it abandoned its T-Mobile buyout following opposition from the FCC and the Department of Justice. The new approval means T-Mobile will get AWS mobile spectrum in 128 cellular regions, including 12 of the top 20 markets.
T-Mobile as promised has started selling the HTC One S. The first HTC One series phone in the US comes only in Gradient Blue and costs $200 on a contract, albeit only after a $50 rebate. Buyers can opt for it $600 contract-free.
During the "Magenta Deal Days", T-Mobile will give customers $200 for their iPhone, $100 for an Android-powered phone, and $50 for any other brand of mobile phone, assuming it still works. All trade-in offers are contingent on signing a two-year agreement and purchasing a new 4G smartphone on the T-Mobile network. T-Mobile does not sell iPhones.
Hints that Samsung could be prepping a version of the Galaxy Note for T-Mobile appear to have been confirmed with photos of the device surfacing in the wild. The photos, which passed through the in-box of the team at Tmo News, also show a number of T-Mobile apps preinstalled on the device. Pre-loaded apps include T-Mobile Name ID, Mall, TV and My T-Mobile.
T-Mobile has decided to enter its own protest (PDF) in the ongoing saga surrounding Verizon's planned $3.6 billion purchase of Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) airwaves from cable companies. The wireless provider filed a brief with the FCC urging the regulatory board to scuttle the impending deal between Verizon and the cable companies.
Samsung may be readying a version of the Galaxy Note for T-Mobile. A discovery of a browser user agent string for a previously unseen SGH-T879 device by TmoNews both has the characteristic Txx9 naming of a Samsung-made T-Mobile device and the 1280x800 resolution of the 5.3-inch Note. While a small chance exists that it's a tablet, the naming scheme, user agent, and listings both at the Bluetooth SIG and the Wi-Fi Alliance (PDF) suggest a smartphone like the Note instead.
T-Mobile on Wednesdya officially launched the HTC One S. The middle tier of HTC's reborn Android line is due April 25 and will cost $200 on a two-year contract, or $600 contract-free. The phone's signature durable-yet-soft micro arc oxidation will be available on at least one model, which T-Mobile badges as Gradient Blue.
T-Mobile's friendly, familiar brand representative Carly has received a makeover in a new commercial kicking off a new direction in the mobile provider's marketing efforts. The first commercial with a "brand new Carly" sees her trading her usual friendly sundress for the edgier attire of a motorcycle rider.
Research in Motion is bringing the BlackBerry Curve 9320 to the UK, according to a teaser page on T-Mobile's UK website. The site suggests the 9320 will arrive in the carrier's stores sometime in May.
The FCC has proposed that T-Mobile should pay $819,000 for failing to abide by rules governing availability of handsets compatible with hearing aids. T-Mobile failed to follow the rules during 2009 and 2010, according to the FCC, offering fewer than required hearing-aid compatible handsets.
RIM could be getting close to releasing a pair of major projects based on a pair of tentative rumors in mid-week. One possible sighting emerging from TechnoBuffalo had BlackBerry Messenger being run on an Android device for testing purposes. The lone shot had few extra details, but conspicuously showed an "iPhone test" contact entry, suggesting RIM was developing for both platforms.
RIM's former co-CEO Jim Balsillie had proposed using BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) servers to provide data for non-BlackBerry hardware shortly before he resigned his position, new leaks uncovered on Friday. The method outlined to Reuters would have let carriers offer Android and iPhone devices with cheaper data plans that limited Internet access to chat (possibly BlackBerry Messenger) and social networks, much like entry BlackBerry plans do today. RIM would presumably have made money from leasing access to carriers eager to get more smartphone customers and offload some of their bandwidth needs.
T-Mobile erased suspicions of an upcoming HTC One S launch Wednesday by sending invitations to the media for an introductory event on April 18. The evening event will include music from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and is explicitly intended to give hands-on time with the T-Mobile version of the Android 4.0 headliner. Internal leaks have had the phone shipping exactly a week later, on April 25.
The FCC as well as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have reached an agreement to potentially improve tracking down stolen cellphones. A common database will register phones and their IMEIs that were marked as stolen or lost and deny them voice or data until they're considered safe. The effort will start with individual databases in half a year, followed by a united pool in the year and a half following that point.
HTC's One S got clues it was much closer to release after leaks of internal staff training. Material passed on to TmoNews have it selling the phone on April 25, which is likely "Final" barring a delay. The copies mostly recap features, but also position the One S as one of if not the most important phone T-Mobile will have for the spring.
Wireless providers T-Mobile USA and Leap on Monday revealed they will exchange spectrum in some US markets in order to improve coverage. Part of the deal is Cook Inlet, a joint venture that T-Mobile has a non-controlling majority stake in, as well as Savary Island Wireless, in which Leap has a similar stake. According to Leap CEO Doug Hutchenson, the deal will help the carrier bump up its offerings in markets served by T-Mobile and paves the way for Leap to offer LTE.
AT&T's iPhone unlocking plans have been detailed in posts on MacNN's forums and on others like at iMore. Owners only have to call or talk to AT&T agents and, if they're out of contract or willing to pay to exit a contract, just need to provide their phone's IMEI. As with unlocks in Canada and elsewhere, Apple handles the actual unlock, which requires that users backup and restore in iTunes.
Nokia has matched its Lumia 900 blitz with efforts to fuel the Lumia 710's sales as well. T-Mobile is now offering the Windows Phone for free instead of its usual $50-plus on contract. The deal lasts until at least April 17, although it will typically need a mail-in rebate.
Earlier this week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) disclosed information on wiretapping by law enforcement agencies in the US. The information, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, while quantifying the extent to which the practice takes place, also reveals it as a lucrative business for the carriers. Every time a person's phone is tapped or their location is tracked, the service providers charge the government.
(Update 2: Alaska Communications and three others too) In an unexpected move, relatively small US carrier nTelos has unveiled iPhone plans. The Virginia-based, nationally-focused carrier will start carrying Apple's hardware at 7AM on April 20, with pre-registrations starting immediately. It will have a unique advantage in starting with lower prices: the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 will be available for $50 less than usual across every model, starting the 8GB iPhone 4 at $50 on a contract and the 16GB iPhone 4S at $150.
Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) settled its lawsuit over Wi-Fi patents on Monday. The deal with US carriers AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as well as PC designers Acer, Lenovo, and Sony, was worth $220 million in local currency, or $229 million US. CSIRO hadn't ruled out more patent lawsuits, although it didn't file for patents in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) area or the wider Latin America area.
T-Mobile has issued an apology for spamming Android users on its network through their notifications bar. Some Android customers on its network received the ads promoting T-Mobile’s free VIP Zone and noticed them pulling down the notification window. According to the company, the notices were sent inadvertently and were stopped as soon as the company was notified of the problem through user complaints.
Senator Al Franken on Thursday spoke (PDF) at the American Bar Association's Antitrust Section, pleading for more government supervision of large media and technology firms. This would ensure greater privacy to Americans, and the chair of the Senate subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law specifically named Google and Facebook as the major threats. Franken said consumers don't have any legal protection when it comes to their personal information.
Apple's Australian iPad pages have changed to preemptively comply with rulings on 4G marketing. It now makes more generic claims to support "very fast cellular networks" and makes clear that the iPad doesn't support the frequencies or technologies for what's considered 4G in Australia. The hardware is "not compatible with current Australian 4G LTE networks and WiMAX networks," Apple said.
Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam in conversation Thursday raised the prospect of a mobile video service to try and secure its cable provider spectrum deal. He argued to the Wall Street Journal that an "integrated" service, where paid TV subscribers could watch the content on a device like a phone or tablet, could be ready by the end of the year. The offer would take advantage of a companion part of the deal, where either company could sell a service from the other.
The leak mid-Thursday. An online document from TmoNews has the One S appearing on April 22. The Sunday release is unusual, and could just refer to availability starting that coming week, but suggested T-Mobile might be the first with an HTC One series in the country.
Mexico's Federal Competition Commission ruled late Tuesday that Telcel was a dominant company and would face extra regulation. The unanimous vote observed by Dow Jones rejected an appeal while simultaneously flipping an earlier decision that lusacell and Telefonica's Movistar were also dominant in the country. Their ability to negotiate deals wasn't as powerful given their smaller influences in Mexico, officials decided.
(Update: more devices) After halting updates in December, Google has resumed pushing the latest version of Android to Nexus S devices. Those with GSM versions, such as the AT&T and T-Mobile models as well as most any version outside of the US, are getting Android 4.0.4 as an over-the-air upgrade. Users can either wait for the update check or try to manually prompt the update if they want it faster.
HTC's upcoming One S handset, which was formally introduced earlier this year at Mobile World Congress, appears to have been tested using T-Mobile USA firmware. A leaked video posted on YouTube is said to show a test model geared for T-Mobile's HSPA+ network, complete with HTC's Sense UI atop Android 4.0.3.
Despite approving a deal for Everything Everywhere's proposed 4G network, UK regulator Ofcom has given competing networks more time to comment on the proposal. The extension was done at the request of stakeholders, and was pushed back from April 17 until May 8 of this year. Vodafone and O2 have filed complaints that suggest the new spectrum would give Everything Everywhere an unfair advantage by being the first to get to the market.
Chip-based smart card maker On Track Innovations has sued T-Mobile USA because it sells phones equipped with NFC chips. OTI claims such phones violate its patents, though why it doesn't sue the makers of the phones themselves or other carriers that sell the very same phones in some cases isn't known. The lawsuit was filed in a New York federal court, though details such as the amount of damages or a licensing agreement sought haven't been revealed.
