T-Mobile USA’s German parent Deutsche Telekom says the carrier will bring Apple products to its customers next year, meaning that all four of the nationwide service providers now have agreements with Apple. Even some regional carriers have gotten the iPhone, but so far T-Mobile USA has been passed over. Its 3G network is not currently compatible with the iPhone 5 and it does not have a live LTE network. A T-Mobile iPhone 5 would be more likely to debut on the LTE network of MetroPCS, after MetroPCS and T-Mobile USA complete their planned merger.
Deutsche Telekom says the T-Mobile USA/MetroPCS merger should close in the first half of 2013, and that it expects to increase capital expenditures at that time. A press release outlining the carrier’s future investment plans contained a reference to its agreement with Apple, saying simply that T-Mobile USA and Apple have agreed to “bring products to market together in 2013.”
With the MetroPCS merger on the horizon, Deutsche Telekom seems ready to renew its financial commitment to T-Mobile USA. “The higher investment volume is to be used to roll out the broadband infrastructure in Germany and the United States in particular,” DT wrote in its release. “In the mobile communications network, this will be done using the state-of-the-art technology LTE.”
