T-Mobile looking to hybrid model for high speed data

by Joe P on April 14, 2008

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When I heard that T-Mobile was rolling out their 3G network in New York City, I figured we’d be talking April/May. Apparently, we’re still a little ways off, though, with the projected debut now in the summer months. But T-Mobile has a plan to go along with the rollout that could bring their customers faster data speeds throughout the city. They’re going to combine the Advanced Wireless Services spectrum with their already-existing WiFi hotspots to create seamless high-speed coverage. This service will extend to 80 percent of the nation’s top 20 markets by the end of the year.

Joe Sims, vice president and general manager of broadband products and services for T-Mobile USA thinks that this gives his company an immediate advantage:

“WiMax and LTE are a ways off from becoming reality,” Sims said. “There isn’t anything faster than Wi-Fi right now. And with the seamless handoff to a 3G network, we can get much wider coverage.”

And that’s the key, really. If T-Mobile can truly hand off a signal from WiFi to 3G and back, they should have many customers eager to switch. And with their new BlackBerry offerings — the 8820 and Pearl 8120, both of which have WiFi — they might be able to capture a portion of the business market. Companies can utilize the faster download speeds and low-cost WiFi calling to save time and money.

T-Mobile is really pulling out all the stops in order to compete with Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile. They’re even considering municipal WiFi projects, which would only help their Hotspot offering.

“We’ve looked at citywide Wi-Fi,” Sims said. “There’s no real reason why it couldn’t work from a technology standpoint. But there are different business models around using the technology in that way.”

If there’s any company that should be looking into this now, it’s T-Mobile.

Filed under : T-Mobile