Apple iPhone coming to T-Mobile instead of Verizon Wireless in 2010?

Posted Dec 2nd 2009 2:40PM by Brian White
Filed under: Rumors, Products and Services, Apple Inc (AAPL)

Apple's (AAPL) iPhone has been the biggest feather in the cap of U.S. partner AT&T (T), which has recruited millions of new wireless customers every quarter just based on the iPhone handset alone. Without it, AT&T could have slipped far behind larger rival Verizon Wireless in the last few years. In part due to the iPhone's incredible success, Verizon Wireless had to buy rival Alltel earlier this year just to keep up (and surpass) AT&T's wireless subscriber numbers. But what would happen if the iPhone went to another wireless carrier?

The rumor for over a year is that Verizon, kicking itself over not partnering with Apple for iPhone exclusivity back at the start of 2007, really wanted a version of the iPhone to sell itself once AT&T's exclusivity contract ended with Apple. But then again, the iPhone was built for the technical platform AT&T's wireless network in the U.S. uses, not Verizon's (which is completely different). Apple would have to swap in quite a few things just to make a Verizon Wireless version of the iPhone work. So, what other carrier would be able to pick up the iPhone in the U.S. as it is built right now and make it usable instantly?

Try T-Mobile USA, the U.S. arm of German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom. T-Mobile USA uses the same technical network as AT&T, so it makes a natural fit for the carrier to carry the iPhone if at all possible. There is no doubt Apple would love to have a second iPhone partner in the U.S. so that it could sell even more handsets.

Doug Reid with Thomas Weisel thinks this is a definite possibility as well some time next year. On top of that, Apple already sells the iPhone with T-Mobile in Germany -- so why not the U.S.? Apple's device, which is in a league of its own, is doing incredible well even on an AT&T network that was ranked last in 19 of 26 cities where Consumer Reports recently ranked wireless carrier performance. Another partner and the iPhone would be unstoppable -- and it seems like it already is in many ways.

Tags: AAPL, APPL, Apple, inthenews, iPhone, iphone exclusivity, iPhone verizon, IphoneExclusivity, IphoneVerizon

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-02-2009 @ 9:21PM

eric said...

Incredibly well you mean? And Apple would have to add the AWS (1700) band for it to work on T-Mo 3G. Good try though.

12-02-2009 @ 10:27PM

Robert A. Rosenberg said...

There would need to be some slight additions needed to make the iPhone FULLY comparable with the US T-Mobile network. T-Mobile uses a non-standard Frequency for its Data Network so the stock AT&T iPhone will not be fully functional (although there is some shared frequencies.

12-02-2009 @ 10:42PM

Carlos said...

Sounds like a Tmobile user's pipe dream. But realistically it's not going to happen. Why limit yourself to 35 million customers by having to invest in a new chipset (1700Mhz 3G, oddball!) when you would do that anyway and you could get a potential 125 million customers with a CDMA Iphone compatible with Sprint and Verizon.

12-03-2009 @ 11:05AM

3dpenguin said...

Seeing that the T-Mobile iPhone from Europe is fully compatible with the T-Mobile US network its less far fetched than Verizon and Sprint, all Apple would have to do to bring the iPhone to T-Mobile over here is to just start producing the phone they sell over there for the US market. I personally don't see Apple sticking exclusively with AT&T much longer, and could see them targeting all 4 major carriers in the near future just to cover margins, all 3 carriers have something to offer that AT&T just doesn't make the cut on, customer service and reliability. T-Mobile is by far the cheapest carrier to use for data plans, and Verizon has the best overall service, while Sprint offers a crap load of customers.

12-04-2009 @ 6:51AM

John said...

It will still be up to the other carriers if they want the phone or not. Look what has happened to att's network with so many iphones running. In a matter of time, it will eventually slow down the other carriers network and then they will have complaining customers over that. I am with Sprint and if they ever got the iphone...I will not get one, they are over-rated and if the network slows down due to too many iphoners...I will call and complain everday.

12-04-2009 @ 11:44PM

jaw2012 said...

@ John - The iPhone is overrated? Please son, everyone wants a piece of this fantastic tech.

2-17-2010 @ 12:02AM

Basil said...

Android.... the only ever design that updates software and capabiltiies without having to buy a new version of the phone.... free turn by turn directions, open source and the new google pad is going to crush the ipad in function, performance and storage....oh and price...

2-22-2010 @ 8:35AM

Juan Fermin said...

CDMA requires more power, and is less efficient than UDMA, so it's not just simply adding the additional frequencies, the entire phone would have to be redesigned.

It's one of the reasons why the new Google Nexus One will only work on TMobile and AT&T Networks, because the Technology behind them is very similar. Adding the additional spectrum bandwidth is the easy part.