By If there was ever any grey area about what to call it, T-Mobile is doing their best to clear the smoke. They’ve decided to kick the name HSPA+ to the curb and go with fewer letters and more in line with “next-gen”.
T-Mobile has launched an ad campaign not only calling their network “4G”, but also calling it “America’s Largest”. You would think they would be more original with their advertising slogans, but first come first serve.
Full Press Release:
T-Mobile 4G Service Now Available in More Markets and on New Devices
T-Mobile HSPA+-Enabled 4G Network Now Reaches Over 75 Metropolitan Markets
New T-Mobile myTouch 4G and 4G Netbook
Take Advantage of Blazing-Fast Wireless Broadband SpeedsBELLEVUE, Wash. – Nov. 2, 2010 – T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the expansion of its 4G mobile broadband network to six additional metro areas, and introduced two new products designed to tap into its 4G service. Tomorrow marks the national retail availability of the
T-Mobile® myTouch® 4G and T-Mobile’s first 4G netbook, the Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 4G. With typical download speeds that are on par with or faster than competing 4G technologies, and service availability in 75 metropolitan markets throughout the United States, the
T-Mobile network now offers a super-fast, next generation mobile broadband experience to more people than any other wireless network in the country.“4G is about performance and today T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network is delivering 4G speeds that match and often beat WiMAX and are comparable to what early LTE will deliver. Our 4G network is capable of theoretical speeds up to 21Mbps and we have seen average download speeds approaching five Mbps on our myTouch 4G phone in some cities with peak speeds of nearly 12 Mbps. Further, independent reviewers have seen average download speeds on our webConnect Rocket between 5 and 8 Mbps with peak speeds up to 8-10Mbps,” said Neville Ray, chief technology officer, T-Mobile USA. “The footprint of our 4G service is not something that competitors are going to match anytime soon, and starting today, we will begin marketing our network advantage with TV commercials advertising ‘America’s Largest 4G Network’ from T-Mobile.”
The “America’s Largest 4G Network” message will be communicated in an iconic, arresting and memorable way through national TV and digital advertisements that will begin airing today on major TV networks and cable TV stations, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and TNT, and appearing on websites, including AOL, MSN, Amazon.com and easily viewable on T-Mobile’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/tmobile.
T-Mobile expanded the availability of its 4G network to six additional metropolitan areas, including Chicago, Ill.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Ft. Wayne, Ind.; Louisville, Ky.; and Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington, N.C. T-Mobile customers with 4G devices in 75 metropolitan areas can now enjoy faster Web browsing, uninterrupted video streaming and quicker downloads at no additional cost.
“Consumers do not understand the technical alphabet soup of technologies involved in 4G, but for our purposes we define WiMAX, LTE and HSPA+ as 4G technologies,” said Chris Nicoll, distinguished research fellow, Yankee Group. “HSPA+ is evolving a far more ambitious and long-term road map than was originally envisioned. T-Mobile is using an upgrade to HSPA+ to deliver faster 4G speeds today and is quickly bringing a number of HSPA+ devices to market that greatly enhance the mobile data experience for its customers.”
In addition to the network expansion, T-Mobile continues to broaden its lineup of products that tap into its 4G network. Available today is the stylish and powerful T-Mobile myTouch 4G smartphone. Designed to access faster speeds on T-Mobile’s 4G network, the myTouch 4G also includes a front-facing camera for Video Chat through Yahoo! Messenger or QIK, HD Camcorder with Screen Share by Twonky™, 5-megapixel camera with flash, Android 2.2, and additional exclusive T-Mobile features such as Genius Button™, powered by Dragon Dictation from Nuance Communications, myModes and Faves Gallery™. The myTouch 4G is appearing in a national ad campaign beginning today and will be the featured device at T-Mobile retail stores nationwide this holiday season.
Also available today is the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 4G, T-Mobile’s first netbook to feature built-in access to T-Mobile’s 4G mobile broadband network. It also includes Windows 7 Starter Edition – Microsoft Corp.’s latest operating system – and a fast processor for easy Web surfing, communication, photo sharing and multimedia playback in one small, ultraportable device.“With an upgrade path that continues to provide room for considerable speed enhancements, T-Mobile’s 4G network is purpose-built for continued growth. We are now on pace to increase our 4G footprint – reaching 200 million people by the end of this year – with plans to offer 42Mbps theoretical speeds in 2011,” added Ray. “As customer demand for wireless data increases, T-Mobile is well-positioned to compete based on the speed, breadth and evolution path of our mobile broadband service.”
Additional 4G products already available from T-Mobile and designed to take advantage of the faster 4G service include the T-Mobile webConnect® Rocket™ 2.0 laptop stick and the high-powered T-Mobile G2™ with Google™ smartphone. T-Mobile’s 4G smartphones, the myTouch 4G and the T-Mobile G2, are powered by the Android 2.2 operating system, which provides tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing capabilities. Beginning this holiday season, T-Mobile will offer a Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing service plan that allows customers to use their smartphone as wireless modem for connecting laptops and other devices to the Internet through the T-Mobile mobile broadband network. Customers can add the Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing plan to their Web – Unlimited $30/monthly plan for an additional $14.99/month.
Product Availability
T-Mobile plans to offer a selection of affordable data plans for both smartphones and broadband products, with smartphone data plans starting as low as $10/month. T-Mobile customers do not pay a premium for access to its 4G network. For more information on T-Mobile products, services, pricing and promotions, visit http://www.t-mobile.com.The myTouch 4G is available nationwide tomorrow through T-Mobile retail stores, online at http://www.t-mobile.com, at select third-party dealers, and at leading national retailers including Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam’s Club and Target. Customers can visit http://mytouch.t-mobile.com for more information about the myTouch family of smartphones including the myTouch 4G.
It’s still debatable whether or not they can legitamtely call their latest data network “4G” (and personally I side with the ITU). However, IntoMobile caught up with Reid Walkker, VP of Corporate Communications for T-Mobile and asked what justification they had to call it “4G”. “The market has determined what 4G is, and customers aren’t concerned with what the ITU decides or the technology behind it. Customers have come to expect faster speeds and a better overall experience, ” Walker responded. I read it as “the market doesn’t know what the hell is going on, they just like bigger numbers than the other guy”.
In the end, 3.5G is doomed to be called 4G. Although, as a kid, the excuse “He did it too!” never got my ass out of the frying pan. Bitter much? Yes.
[via Engadget & IntoMobile]
I’d be happier if they just made their 3G network reliable.
All of the 3G naming was completely decided by hype and marketing. Why would 4G be any different and why would the cellular carriers care what some insignificant standards body decides?
Tmobile…I had them not long ago …they should come out with there own logo…something tells me this will bite them in there ass….hopefully there 4g isn’t more edge theanything else
Like there 3g
HSPA+ is a 3G technology. Calling it 4G would be like me cooking your cat and calling it chicken.
I got the MyTouch Slide right around the time it first came out. I have yet to have a complaint about their 3G service, not to mention the download and streaming speeds that I enjoy. I don’t plan on getting a 4G device anytime soon, but if I do, I’m sticking with T-Mobile. I have been with them for 8 years, and I never had any issues with them.
While I don’t agree with t mobile waiting til now to label this 4G, I see their case for it. Verizon stated that HSPA+ was an option they considered before deciding on LTE. I say if the speed is there, call it what matches everybody else. I am generally no t mobile fan, but if they can get those speeds to that many people by the end of the year, good for them. It will be good for android. I will enjoy my Sprint 4G, if it ever gets to Arkansas…they can enjoy their HSPA+. Interestingl enough, Arkansas already has some HSPA+ coverage, with probably more coming by years end. It is widely believed that Sprint and t mobile will one day merge, so this will only be a good thing in the long run.
Just so we’re all clear on this, Sprint’s isn’t technically 4G, either, according to the standard. But do you complain about them? I haven’t seen that post. It then becomes a matter of remaining competitive in the market.
Call it whatever you want. My experience on my nexus one is that I can load pages twice as fast as a droid x on verizon. Yes, I lack coverage in the boondocks, but I don’t live there. Fast it is indeed.
Wow, about time!!! I’m getting my update to 2.1 to my motorola cliq… but with the long wait I’m not even excited… right now is in 85% of downloading updates…
My Gs go up to 11.
Sorry about that, (the sorry is more for me than for y’all) the update was from the system version (blur version from 1.4.8 to 1.6.1) I guess we (cliq owners) are getting close to the really update to 2.1… I guess I gotta keep waiting.. for how long?? 2 weeks, 2 months, 6 months, probably we never will get it, but who knows… let see…
Well since sprint call’s their 4G thats not 4G tmobile should have the right to do what they want as well…..regardless tmobiles 4G get reasonably higher speeds than their 3G network so good job…
Tmobiles 3G has been OKAY and I have used Sprints 3G which was just OKAY as well…
@Everyone and mytharak(especially you)
If you want to go by ITU standards then NOBODY! IS 4G and Verizon is considered 2G because they still can’t do Voice and Data simultaneously! Wimax and LTE are not 4G technology! LTE-Advanced and WiMax 2 are ITU defined 4G. LTE and Wimax are still 3G technologies!
I think we need not worry ourselves with what ITU says about standards. As already pointed out, by their silly standards, Verizon isn’t even 3G. Should companies have to wait til speeds are 100 gbits to call it 4G? Do we even need that ridiculous speed for mobile? Seems o overkill to me, and that’s an understatement. By those standards, there would probably never be a 5G!
@Tim – yes, companies should have to wait until they meet the standards to call them 4G and 3G. Just because someone puts a turbo in a VW Beetle and paints it red doesn’t mean they can call it a Ferrari…
If they want to deviate from the standards and do their own thing, that’s fine, but they need to call it something else.
In most other standards environments (Bluetooth, WiFi, DSL, CableModem, etc), stating that your product is compliant with the standards without being able to meet them makes you subject to lawsuits.
Honestly, calling it 3G and 4G was doomed from the start because referring to generations of products as _G has been around for a long time. Cell companies played fast and loose with data network naming conventions as soon as it became marketable. The networks could claim that this is the 4th generation of their data network as they see it…and have a valid reason to call it 4G. The names mean nothing, but can serve as a basis for comparison, and as such I think T-MO is completely justified as HPSA+ is more comparable with what Sprint and Verizon are calling 4G. Just my thought…
3G and 4G are both just marketing terms. Verizon isn’t really 3G, Sprint isn’t really 4G. T-Mobile is just following the lead of others, as they should, as the public doesn’t even understand what it really takes to be 3G or 4G. If we would deny T-Mobile from calling it 4G, should we also deny Verzion of calling their network 3G?