T-Mobile USA goes 3G in NYC

T-Mobile USA Inc. officially launched its first 3G network in New York City, the company announced. The nation’s No. 4 carrier said the UMTS/HSDPA network uses the advanced wireless services spectrum it acquired during the 2006 auction for $4.2 billion.
The carrier has been rumored to be trialing its 3G services across several markets for the past several months.
The company hasn’t specified which cities will come on board next, but says it will continue to roll out 3G services across major metropolitan markets throughout the year. T-Mobile USA has been slowly building its 3G network and device lineup, and by the year’s close it hopes to have 3G services available in cities where a majority of subscribers use data, the company said.
Devices currently supporting the 3G service include Nokia Corp.’s 6263 and 3555 and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s t639 and t819, but doesn’t plan to launch its first HSDPA device for months, it said. In 2006, T-Mobile USA said it planned to spend about $2.6 billion to build its 3G network and commercially introduce the service by the middle of last year. The carrier added that pricing for access to the higher-speed network would be included in current data plans.
By deploying a faster network on its recently acquired AWS spectrum, T-Mobile USA says its spectrum position in the United States will be essentially doubled by the time it makes use of those licenses nationwide. However, the company appears to still be waiting for some of that spectrum to be cleared and made available for cellular networks as it hinted at continued cooperation with the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice.
“The launch of our 3G network comes at a time when 3G phones and services are more affordable, capable and appealing to our consumer marketplace than ever before,” Cole Brodman, the carrier’s chief development officer, wrote in a prepared statement. “Today, T-Mobile USA customers already have among the highest adoption of data and messaging services in the industry. Through our 3G network, we look forward to delivering a rich portfolio of new and meaningful services to enrich our customers’ lives.”