T-Mobile USA appears to be inching toward the launch of its LTE service, announcing this week that its Samsung Galaxy Note II device would receive an over-the-air update enabling access to LTE services.
The carrier did note that despite the OTA update, it was not yet ready to announce specific LTE launch plans.
“Though LTE compatibility is available in the Note II with the software update, the T-Mobile 4G LTE network is not available at this time but will be coming soon,” the carrier said.
T-Mobile USA has been furiously working on overhauling its network in order to rollout LTE services, despite strong marketing efforts proclaiming its current HSPA+-based network as providing “4G” speeds. The network overhaul includes the reorganization of spectrum assets in order to free up the 1.7/2.1 GHz spectrum currently used for its HSPA+ service for LTE, and in turn converting its 1.9 GHz spectrum holdings from its GSM-based 2G services to HSPA+-based services.
T-Mobile USA parent company Deutsche Telekom recently noted that the carrier was spending approximately $4 billion installing LTE equipment, a move also bolstered by its recently approved acquisition of regional carrier MetroPCS. That deal, along with other spectrum acquisitions, is expected to provide T-Mobile USA with up to 40 megahertz of spectrum to support its LTE offering.
T-Mobile USA is expected to host a press conference next week where many predict the carrier will announce LTE launch plans as well as an overhaul of its rate plans to put a greater emphasis on no-contract offerings.
The LTE network launch could also pave the way for T-Mobile USA’s long-awaited plans to offer Apple products as well. DT announced late last year that T-Mobile USA would begin offering Apple products sometime this year, though the carrier already supports approximately 1.8 million unlocked iPhone devices on its network.
From a competitive standpoint, the LTE launch will put T-Mobile USA on at least equal marketing footing with its larger rivals Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and Sprint Nextel, all of which offer LTE services on some scale. A recent report from Root Metrics found that T-Mobile USA’s current “4G” offering does not quite compare from a speed perspective with LTE offerings from its rivals, not to mention the spectral efficiencies available from LTE’s all-IP architecture.
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