Analyst: T-Mobile to Soon Carry iPhone

By Zak Islam
published

U.S.'s only large carrier not to offer Apple's smartphone.

According to reports overheard by Merrill Lynch analyst Scott Craig, T-Mobile USA is finally set to offer Apple's iPhone to its subscribers.

Within a note to investors, Craig noted that "speculation is heightening" about T-Mobile USA parent company Deutsche Telecom set to announce plans to sign a deal with Apple in order to bring the iPhone to the U.S. carrier. The unveiling is said to be due for an analyst event next week.

Currently, T-Mobile is the fourth largest carrier in the United States with 33 million customers. Craig said around 4 million from that figure would be expected to purchase the device.

The carrier, the only major U.S. carrier not to offer the iPhone, was scheduled to be purchased through an AT&T merger in 2011 for $39 billion, but it was blocked by U.S. regulators.

To attract consumers without offering the device itself, T-Mobile targets iPhone users by selling nano-SIM cards that can be utilized by unlocked iPhones, subsequently enabling it to be compatible with its network.

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Zak Islam
14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • reprotected
    Someone promote this guy.
    Reply
  • shmung
    Lol isnt this what they said when the 4 launched and then they were really sure when the 4s launched and then they were even more sure when the 5 launched whoever is making these predictions need to be fired how can you be that wrong and still have a job
    Reply
  • devBunny
    Excellent. I shall put all this information to good use when I launch my new phone. :-)
    Reply
  • devBunny
    Oops, mouse clicked a link and I'm in the wrong thread. Doh! ;o)
    Reply
  • clownbaby
    meh, the best thing about t-mobile is the unsubsidized value plans.
    Reply
  • livebriand
    clownbabymeh, the best thing about t-mobile is the unsubsidized value plans.Scratch that, the $30 5GB plan kicks ass. I'm on that with an unlocked Galaxy Nexus (might upgrade to a Nexus 4, with no contract to get in my way) and am quite happy.
    Reply
  • Thunderfox
    They just said a few days ago that they weren't going to have the iPhone because it didn't make good business sense at the time, which in plain english means they did not want to bend over forwards for the greedy bastards at Apple.

    Good for TMobile not being swayed by the ignorant iDrones. Anything else they spend the money on has got to be better for them in the long run, especially considering the unreasonable nature of Apple's demands.
    Reply
  • wildkitten
    ThunderfoxThey just said a few days ago that they weren't going to have the iPhone because it didn't make good business sense at the time, which in plain english means they did not want to bend over forwards for the greedy bastards at Apple. Good for TMobile not being swayed by the ignorant iDrones. Anything else they spend the money on has got to be better for them in the long run, especially considering the unreasonable nature of Apple's demands.Exactly what demands does Apple make on the carriers that are unreasonable?

    The only ones I know of is that the insist on control of OS distribution and no bloatware from the carrier. Those are not unreasonable, and in fact, consumer friendly. I wish Google and their OEM partners would start making the same demands so while some phones are getting JB, other phones, completely capable of running ICS and JB, are still stuck on GB.
    Reply
  • k7mm
    At this point....Why?

    I think Apple should pay for the advertisements saying that the iPhone is available on their network
    Reply
  • amdwilliam1985
    wildkittenExactly what demands does Apple make on the carriers that are unreasonable?The only ones I know of is that the insist on control of OS distribution and no bloatware from the carrier. Those are not unreasonable, and in fact, consumer friendly. I wish Google and their OEM partners would start making the same demands so while some phones are getting JB, other phones, completely capable of running ICS and JB, are still stuck on GB.
    I agree with you that Google/OEM needs to handle OS releases. But sometimes, having/upgrading/downgrading OS does not always mean good things. Example, got friends with iPhone 4 & 4S with iOS 6, they hated the downgrade and there's no legal way of getting back to iOS 5. Now their phones are slower, got half day battery life and have the lag of death. I guess this is Apple's way of convincing them to upgrade to ifone 5. But guess what, many are coming over to Android.

    Recently, my Nexus 7 and Galaxy S3 got upgraded to 4.2.1 and 4.1.1 respectively. Did not notice any major difference, at least not in my usage. OS upgrade are so overhyped.
    Reply