T-Mobile launches 3G network
T-Mobile today announced that their long awaited 3G network was launched in New York City today. T-Mobile was the last major U.S. carrier to launch a 3G network, which uses the same UMTS/HSPA technology that is used by AT&T and other GSM carriers world-wide. Third generation networks such as this allow carriers to provide much higher data speeds, with current UMTS/HSPA networks able to achieve speeds up to 7.2 Mbps. It is not clear at this time what speeds T-Mobile's network will achieve. T-Mobile has indicated that they expect to roll out their new network across metropolitan areas throughout the country for the rest of the year.
T-Mobile's current selection of devices capable of supporting their 3G network is limited to a couple of entry-level phones. They indicated today that they will begin rolling out higher end data-centric devices later this year. T-Mobile's 3G network runs on a different part of the spectrum than other UMTS/HSPA networks, meaning that devices that currently support 3G like the AT&T Tilt (
review) or Nokia N95 (
review) won't work on T-Mobile's network.
