We’ve seen enough of those Verizon most reliable 3G network commercials, its time for some change. T-Mobile looks to up the ante by showing off their 75+ 4G areas in some commercials. Now they can show off their network in some commercials that will also be showing off their network. Tomorrow will be the first day you can purchase the following devices: T-Mobile® myTouch® 4G and T-Mobile’s first 4G netbook, the Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 4G. These devices will be the fastest of the fast on this new network. Speeds are supposed to get up to 21Mbps and average download speeds near 5 Mbps on the T-Mobile My Touch 4G and up to 12 Mpbs at the highest. T-Mobile plans to also announce a new plan that allows users to use their smartphone as a wireless modem using their network. Imagine the kind of work you could accomplish(or random internet browsing) with these types of speeds just on the go using your phone as a modem. Oh, the T-Mobile commercials will start as well tomorrow(in case you were wondering). Check out the full post at SlashGear link below. Via [SlashGear]
Keep your laptop connected while roaming about town and across the country with the T-Mobile webConnect 3G Laptop USB Modem, which runs on T-Mobile’s 3G cellular broadband network as well as offers unlimited access to T-Mobile HotSpot Wi-Fi networks–found across the country in hotels, book stores, FedEx Office locations, and more. The USB stick modem offers plug-and-play convenience and has a handy connector that swivels into the stick for protection when not in use. It also doubles as a USB thumb drive, with a MicroSD memory card slot that’s compatible with optional cards up to 8 GB in size.
The Connection Manager software (below) allows you to connect via cellular 3G broadband or Wi-Fi, check broadband data use, manage Wi-Fi profiles, and find T-Mobile HotSpot locations.
T-Mobile Connectivity The webConnect 3G Laptop USB Modem operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz networks and is compatible with T-Mobile’s UMTS/HSDPA 3G network, which operates on the 2100 MHz AWS spectrum. It’s designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or EDGE) to provide faster data speeds when accessing the Web. T-Mobile’s 3G service is currently available in more than 100 metropolitan areas across the country, and T-Mobile is continuing to roll out the 3G network in additional locations.
In areas where the 3G network is not available, you’ll continue to receive service on the via T-Mobile’s EDGE network (which stands for “Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution”). This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go.
Additionally, the webConnect 3G Laptop USB Modem offers support for unlimited access to the T-Mobile HotSpot Network of Wi-Fi locations (data only; no voice).
Modem Details Catch up on work, check e-mail, surf the Web, or connect with friends and family all while on-the-go. The built-in Connection Manager software allows you to connect to Wi-Fi networks, cellular broadband, and VPN all from one screen, and it automatically connects to broadband connections when available. (The software self-loads onto the your laptop the first time the Laptop Stick is plugged in.) It’s compatible with PCs running the Windows XP and Vista operating systems; a Mac OS X version of the Connection Manager software will be available later this summer (downloadable at T-MobileWebConnect.com/Mac).
There is a 5 GB broadband data limit per month, with a $0.20 per MB overage charge once the 5 GB limit has been exceeded; Wi-Fi does not count against monthly usage. Note that the webConnect 3G Laptop USB Modem does not provide Wi-Fi service, but rather works with the Wi-Fi on your computer to help you manage your connections.
You can choose to use the Connection Manager SMS feature (Windows XP or Vista only) to send text and multimedia messages to cell phones from your laptop (charged $0.20 per SMS or MMS message). Additionally, if you travel internationally, you can use the webConnect USB Modem overseas on T-Mobile’s data roaming partners’ networks (charged at current rates).
The webConnect 3G Laptop USB Modem comes with its own SIM card and dedicated webConnect rate plan. The rate plan cannot be added to existing data or voice plans, and the SIM cannot be swapped between handsets and the Laptop stick except to transfer phone SIM contacts to the Connection Manager.
T-Mobile USA wireless subscribers will soon be allowed to use their smartphones as modems to bring Internet access to other devices including laptops, a T-Mobile representative confirmed today.
The blog the Boy Genius Report first reported the news, citing an internal memo from T-Mobile that outlined the new plan. According to the memo, starting November 3, smartphone subscribers with an HSPA or HSPA+ phone will be able to get up to 5GB of data service per month for an additional $14.99 a month. Once users exceed the 5GB threshold, T-Mobile will throttle and slow down the traffic, the memo says. To be eligible for the new service, customers will have to sign up for a $19.95 data plan or higher. It will be available for both postpaid customers on a contract and people subscribed to the FlexPay service.
A T-Mobile representative confirmed that the company plans to introduce a tethering plan, but was unable to confirm timing or pricing for the new service.
Up to this point, T-Mobile has not offered an official tethering service. But some customers have configured their devices to use their phones as a modem. Now those customers will be required to purchase a new plan, according to the report.
The new tethering option puts T-Mobile on par with some of its competitors, notably Verizon Wireless and AT&T, which also offer tethering options. But for consumers who can get access to T-Mobile's network, T-Mobile's plan could offer a much better deal.
Verizon offers its "Mobile Broadband Connect" service for smartphone users and advanced feature phone customers. Smartphone customers can get 2GB of data for an additional $20 per month. This service allows Verizon customers to connect up to five devices via Wi-Fi, but all these devices share the 2GB worth of data every month. Customers who exceed this cap are charged additional usage fees. Customers with advanced feature phones can also tether their devices. This package starts at $30 per month on top of an existing voice and data package and offers users 5GB of data. For $50 per month, subscribers can get up to 5GB of data on top of an existing voice package.
AT&T wireless customers can add tethering to their $25-a-month data plan for an extra $20 a month. This service will allow customers to share up to 2GB of data for the month between the smartphone and whatever device is tethered to the Internet via the smartphone.
T-Mobile's 3G broadband service has stated download speeds of 4.5Mbit/s and claimed upload speeds of 2Mbit/s. Despite what the slightly confusing names for its service plans might make you think, the company offers one pay monthly plan and two pay as you go options. The simply named Pay monthly Mobile Broadband plan comes with a free USB modem. Unlike plans from other ISPs which have a choice of contract lengths, you're stuck with an 18 month contract although the monthly fee of £15 does at least drop to £10 for the first free months. There's a 3GB monthly download limit. According to the fair usage policy if you go over it, you won't be charged any extra but T-Mobile can restrict your speeds if you regularly exceed the limit. The Pay per day and Pay up front plans are T-Mobile's pay as you go options. Both are different from most other pay as you go plans in that there's a fixed 2GB monthly download limit. Topping up doesn't buy any additional download allowance, but simply gives you more time to use your 2GB allowance. This odd scheme is subject to the same fair usage policy as the Pay monthly plan above. The two plans differ in how much usage time is included. The Pay per day plan has a £20 fee for the modem and comes with 30 days of usage, while the Pay up front service has a £45 fee for the USB modem and comes with 90 days of usage. Once you use up your included usage time, a day costs £2, a week costs £7 and a month costs £15. Only 57 per cent of T-Mobile customers in our survey were satisfied with their service overall, although the other mobile ISPs have similar satisfaction rates. Although we like T-Mobile's sensible fair usage policy, the set download limits from other ISPs may be preferable and are more easily understandable, especially if you're a heavy downloader.
These results were compiled from our online survey, where users were asked to rate their broadband supplier. In the case of customer satisfaction, this is an average of whether users would recommend their supplier and if they're planning on staying with their current supplier.
Greater Boston’s airwaves have become a broadband battleground, as two wireless carriers launch new, high-speed data services today designed to leave current 3G cellular services in the dust. Sprint Nextel Corp., the number three US cellular carrier, unveiled its 4G service, promising Internet download speeds that are two to three times as fast as standard 3G service. Meanwhile, rival T-Mobile USA Inc., the fourth-largest US cellular carrier, announced an upgrade to its Boston-area 3G network. T-Mobile claimed its improved technology, called HSPA+, can match or beat Sprint’s 4G network performance.
A typical 3G connection can download about 1.5 million bits of data per second. Sprint’s 4G network offers speeds up to 6 million bits per second, with short bursts as high as 10 megabits.
The 4G network was built by Clearwire Corp. of Kirkland, Wash. Sprint owns 54 percent of Clearwire; other major investors include cable TV company Comcast Corp., chip maker Intel Corp., and Internet search company Google Inc.
Clearwire will sell 4G service in Boston under the brand name Clear. It will market portable wireless hot spot devices to allow subscribers to connect laptop computers and other devices to the 4G network, as well as wireless home modems that will provide an alternative to broadband services from cable TV or telephone companies.
Comcast will also sell access to the Clearwire network, and will offer a bundle that combines its home cable Internet service with a portable 4G modem for use while traveling. Comcast said its existing broadband customers could get 4G access for an additional $40 per month.
Sprint 4G will be accessible in communities throughout the Boston metropolitan area and is also launching today in Providence.
Chris Hillanbrant, T-Mobile’s regional vice president for engineering and operations, said his company’s upgraded 3G technology would be as fast or faster than Sprint 4G service, although he declined to say just how fast it would be. But Hillanbrant noted that T-Mobile will charge the same rate for the improved service as it charges for standard 3G service. Sprint charges an extra $10 a month to 4G users.
T-Mobile presently does not offer phones that are compatible with the new 3G standard; the first, the T-Mobile G2, is being developed, but the company has not said when it will go on sale. Meanwhile, T-Mobile sells USB modems that let laptop owners use its upgraded network on their computers.
Allen Nogee, wireless industry analyst with In-Stat LLC in Scottsdale, Ariz., said the T-Mobile service would indeed be fast enough to compete with Sprint’s 4G offering.
“I think most people are going to see equivalent rates most of the time,’’ Nogee said. But he pointed out that Sprint’s network has much greater data-carrying capacity. “It’s like having more lanes on the highway,’’ Nogee said, adding that would let Sprint make future upgrades that would put its 4G network far ahead of T-Mobile’s HSPA+ technology.
great offer from UK mobile internet provider, T-Mobile will enable new customers to get a dongle (USB modem stick) for just £8.99.
The ISP has reduced the cost of dongle from £19.99 to just £8.99 for its Pay Per Day deal customers who will need to pay just a one-off fee of £8.99 (for the USB modem) and £10 top-up. This Pay As You Go package comes with a download speed of ‘upto’ 7.2Mbps, unlimited access (fair usage applies) and one month FREE mobile internet with the purchase of first £2 top-up for a day’s use. T-Mobile provides its PAYG customers with a flexible range of top-up options – £2 for a day, £7 for one week or £15 for 30 days. The customers who do not want to go for longer contracts can also consider the ISP’s 3 month mobile broadband offer which includes £39.99 upfront fee, free dongle and unlimited access. Recently, the mobile broadband provider, Orange (T-Mobile’s sister company) has announced that its pay monthly packages will be capped with a set download limit. Orange’s move came just after its competitors O2 and 3 Mobile have made similar changes in response to the new marketing standards to be proposed by Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Ofcom.
T-Mobile's HSPA+ service should get a major expansion in just over a week, including a new netbook to match, if a tip this evening is accurate. The 21Mbps access would reach 19 new coverage areas on July 21, ranging from major cities in Ohio and Texas to the island of Hawaii and cities such as Baltimore, Kansas City, Portland and Washington, DC. It would represent one of the largest expansions of the faster 3G since it launched. BGR hears the new network's activation would be met by the new webConnect 2.0 modem, which improve the overall design and add Mac support. Dell's subsidized Mini 10 will also make an appearance, although here it would come with a USB webConnect modem rather than have HSPA+ built-in.
T-Mobile currently has the fastest available cellular Internet access in the US as Sprint's 4G doesn't peak beyond 10Mbps in real conditions. AT&T is only just starting its HSPA+ deployment and will top at 14.4Mbps, and Verizon's 4G will be faster but won't be commercially available until the end of the year.
While Nokia continues to struggle in the US mobile market, the Finnish-based company has voiced plans to "fight back" in the smartphone space, and it won't be adopting Google's Android OS for any of its phones. "I am committed, perhaps even obsessed, with getting Nokia back to being number one in high-end devices. Achieving this will require performance and efforts over and above the norm," wrote Anssi Vanjoki, head of a newly created Solutions unit at Nokia, in a recent blog post called "The Fightback Starts Now." Despite the widening popularity of Android as an alternative application development platform to Apple's highly successful iPhone , the Android OS is not part of Nokia's roadmap, according to the new appointee. "Symbian and MeeGo are the best software for our smartest devices. As such, we have no plans to use any other software. Despite rumors to the contrary, there are no plans to introduce an Android device from Nokia," he wrote. Wireless Modem Deal Another Sign of Nokia's Urgency Only days after Vanjoki's post, Nokia raised $200 million by selling off its wireless modem business to Japanese semiconductor manufacturer Renesas. The deal with Renesas calls for 1,100 Nokia R&D staffers to be transferred to Renesas, in addition to an undisclosed number of patents around wireless modem technology.
This deal hardly represents the first time that Nokia has switched gears over the years. Originally established in 1865 as a paper mill, Nokiia has also played in myriad other industries, including cable, rubber, TVs, aluminum, and even footwear. Yet the selloff of Nokia's wireless modem arm seems to be another sign of the urgency of Nokia's intentions around catching up in smartphones. Nokia Strives To Do Better in the U.S. Although Nokia continues to dominate the world cell phone market, the Finnish company has kept lagging farther behind in the U.S. In one recent survey, for example, comScore ranked mobile phones based on their share of usage by current mobile subscribers aged 13 and over. For the three-month period ending April 30 of this year, Nokia fell 1 percentage point from January of this year to an 8.1% U.S. share, behind Samsung at 22.1%, LG at 21.8%, Motorola at 21.6%, and Research in Motion (RIM) at 8.4%. Some analysts place the blame on Nokia's long-time refusal to go along with the desire of U.S. carriers for control over how cell phones look and behave. Nokia lost out before, for example, by clinging to a candy-bar-style form factor when U.S. consumers and phone companies started to prefer flip phones. Also, most Nokia phones have been designed to operate on the global standard, GSM, instead of the dominant U.S. standard, CDMA. In recent years, Nokia has been singing a somewhat different tune, opening and maintaining offices in the U.S. to be close to the offices of AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile USA have all been selling Nokia feature phones. New Nokia Smartphones Yet Nokia has had little success bringing its best smartphones to U.S. carriers. Among the few exceptions to this are the Nokia E73 Mode recently released by T-Mobile and the Nokia E71x from AT&T. These models include an HTML Web browser; GPS turn-by-turn voice navigation; e-mail and messaging; video sharing; and downloadable tools, games, and other apps. For the most part, though, U.S customers interested in Nokia's smartphones had to buy them directly from Nokia, either at a Nokia retail store or over the Web, at unsubsidized pricing that might amount to $500 to $600. In his blog post, Nokia's Vanjoki said that Nokia plans to release the Nokia N8, the first Nokia smartphone based on the Symbian 3 OS, over the coming months. "We also plan to deliver our first MeeGo device this year," he noted. Vanjoki did not say if or when these new smartphones will be offered through U.S. wireless carriers.
The new T-Mobile webConnect Rocket USB modem is going to hopefully revolutionize the way we think about connecting to the internet. It will cost $99 for the device and will have several different options for data packages available. It will be available March 14th. To see more please visit their site.
We've heard various rumors over the past year or so that T-Mobile USA parent Deutsche Telekom was looking for someone to look over its fledgling American wireless provider, either in the form of a partnership or an outright buyout. Now, many moons later, the company has felt compelled to set those rumors to rest -- possibly because it couldn't find any interested parties. Rene Obermann, Chairman of the Management Board at Deutsche Telekom, believes there is room for four major wireless players in the US (T-Mo is number four, currently) and asks the question: "Why can't you have penetration rates of 500 percent or 1,000 percent?" The idea here is that, as more and more devices go wireless, people are going to need more and more wireless plans to cover them. But 10 separate wireless plans per person? That sounds 'spensive.
Looks like the kids at T-Mobile USA are well aware that their company's future will depend on offering both compelling handsetsand a competitive network for them to ride on. Reuters reports that the Deutsche Telekom subsidiary has been exploring all its options with regard to the provision of 4G services, including potential joint ventures with cable companies and even spectrum sharing with AT&T, though the likeliest candidate for the moment remains Clearwire's WiMAX infrastructure. Asked about a potential merger with Sprint, who controls more than 50 percent of Clearwire, T-Mobile's CEO Robert Dotson declined the idea, explaining that "what you never want to do is take one company that is going through challenges and take another company going through challenges." Reports of ongoing discussions between Clearwire and T-Mo have been around since last September, and the latest from Dotson suggests that his company is keen to get a resolution either way as soon as possible.
It looks like T-Mobile's webConnect Rocket USB modem will be released right on schedule, even if you currently have to be in Philadelphia to enjoy those HSPA+ speeds (then again, if you're in Philadelphia you probably deserve a break). Accordingly, folks jumping on that March 14 release date can expect to pay $99 with a two-year contract that entitles you to monthly charges of $50 for 5GB or $20 for 200MB -- with a $0.20 / megabyte overage charge. Fun! Additionally, the kids at Mobile Burn got their hands on a unit for a review and were generally quite impressed with consistent download speeds ranging from 1780Kbps to 2797Kbps "on a couple of [DSLreports.com] East Coast servers." Hell, after moving to a location with "prime, perfect signal (-51dbm)" things picked up considerably, with, on average, 6480Kbps downloads and 2160Kbps uploads. Not bad, eh? Hit the source link to get into the nitty gritty. PR after the break.
This latest news from T-Mobile is a new leap in the world of the Internet and wi-fi network.
T-Mobile is taking steps to upgrade to HSPA mobile broadband network to HSPA +. According to T-Mobile's VP of engineering, Dave Mayo, it will be a beach which will look at these upgrades and theoretical download speeds of 21 Mbps in advance. fore may not have a slow Internet connection Given the high public desires about this. broadband may be tight competition No word on when exactly we'll start to see devices that are able to take advantage of the speed upgrade though. [GigaOM]
T-Mobile USA told those at the Mobilize conference yesterday that the carrier plans to ramp up its 3G speeds significantly in the next year. Although it began its 3G deployment much later than its GSM rival AT&T, T-Mobile's chief technical officer Cole Brodman expects to have its 7.2Mbps HSPA service online by the end of 2009. He now additionally expects the firm to introduce HSPA+ service at 21Mbps at some point in 2010.
The approach potentially gives T-Mobile a temporary edge over AT&T. While HSPA+ was once in the latter's roadmap, the company now says it will likely skip the format and move directly from 7.2Mbps 3G to its first 4G service when that becomes commercially available in 2011. T-Mobile also plans to move to 4G in a relatively close timeframe.
In addition to the network changes, Brodman updated the audience on the performance of Android and noted that there are now almost 10,000 apps available through Android Market in the less than a year the OS and online store have been available. Users on at least T-Mobile's network have also typically downloaded 40 apps, or about eight times more than Blackberry owners that often have few or no apps. By comparison, the iPhone's App Store has over 75,000 programs, though there aren't recent estimates for the number of apps downloaded per person.
The catalog and the adoption rate are both expected to go up in the near future following Google's redesign of Android Market to better advertise apps, especially paid titles, as well as the adoption of more non-HTC Android phones like the Motorola Cliq.
Rogers today officially deployed its HSPA+ service in Canada. The service has a peak speed three times faster than its existing HSPA network, at 21Mbps, and is launching in a much wider area than originally promised. Where the company had initially planned only to release it in the Greater Toronto Area, the initial rollout brings HSPA+ both to Toronto as well as to Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver.
The launch also brings a new modem, the HSPA+ Rocket Stick, to take advantage of the service from launch. The USB peripheral installs on both Macs and Windows PCs without needing a separate driver disc and has tri-band support for HSPA+ as well as earlier HSPA standards, including peak upstream speeds of 5.76Mbps; it also handles quad-band EDGE and GPRS in fringe areas. A microSDHC slot optionally gives the drive as much as 8GB of storage.
Service effectively starts on September 28th, when the new Rocket Stick ships for $75 with a three-year contract or $200 contract-free. Extra cities should receive the faster network in the next few months.
The upgrade now gives Rogers the fastest cellular network in North America, as T-Mobile isn't expected to use HSPA+ until 2010 and Verizon also won't launch its 4G service until the same year. Sprint's 4G service currently runs at a peak 10Mbps.
"T-Mobile USA" and "3G modem" aren't two things you frequently heard uttered in the same sentence -- but now that the number four carrier's got a budding HSPA network that's all dressed up with no place to go, it's time to start rolling out some serious hardware (G1 aside) to take advantage. On that note, T-Mobile's finally getting serious about laptop data, launching its rumored webConnect USB stick today with an integrated microSDHC slot, HSDPA 1900 / 2100 / AWS for compatibility in the US and abroad, and triband EDGE for those times -- and there will be many at first -- when you're out of 3G coverage. The webConnect launches today for $49.99 on a two-year contract after rebate or $249.99 contract-free.
The Connection Manager software (below) allows you to connect via cellular 3G broadband or Wi-Fi, check broadband data use, manage Wi-Fi profiles, and find T-Mobile HotSpot locations.
