T-Mobile USA is a cellular telecommunications provider and the United States based subsidiary of T-Mobile International AG, itself based in Bonn, Germany. It was formed from two U.S. companies, VoiceStream Wireless and Powertel. In May 2001, both VoiceStream and Powertel were acquired by Deutsche Telekom for US$24 billion, and in September 2002 the combined U.S. company's name changed to T-Mobile . Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, T-Mobile USA is currently the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. market with 33.4 million customers as of the end of the third quarter of 2009 and annual revenue of US$21.9 billion for their 2008 fiscal year.
T-Mobile USA tends to compete on price and advertises heavily to the youth market. Historically, they have also pioneered new features; they were the first U.S. carrier to launch a ringback tones service nationally ( CallerTunes ), video messaging and "HiFi Ringers" (ringtones which are clips of an actual song), and they became the first company to use and promote the Android mobile operating system from Google, with the launch of the G1.
As of 2007, T-Mobile USA has captured at least 11 J.D. Power Awards in the areas of customer care, call quality, and overall customer satisfaction. In particular, it has dominated the wireless industry in the area of customer care and customer satisfaction, winning all customer care and satisfaction awards for all six surveyed regions for five years in a row.
Network
Through acquisitions of Aerial, APT, Digiph PCS, Eliska, General Cellular Corp, GSM Alliance, Intercel, Omnipoint, Pacific Northwest Cellular, Powertel, SOL Wireless, SunCom Wireless, Voicestream, Western PCS, GSM Facilities, and Western Wireless, T-Mobile has added sites to its network. The native T-Mobile network currently consists of 36,400 cell sites and predominantly uses the GSM/GPRS 1900 MHz frequency-band, making it the largest 1900 MHz network in the United States. Service is available in 46 of the top 50 US markets, reaching 244 million potential customers. By mid-2008 the network is forecast to expand to 98 of 100 largest markets and 282 million potential customers.
Data service is available to most users in the form of the older General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) or newer Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE). EDGE coverage is stated as being available within at least 75% of the GSM footprint. 3G service in the form of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is available in a few cities and is being expanded to cover most major markets. 3G (UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+) service by T-Mobile exclusively uses the AWS 1700/2100 MHz frequency-band, making it incompatible with other existing 3G UMTS/HSPA networks already established in the United States.
Roaming
Although T-Mobile USA has the smallest native network of all the national U.S. carriers, it has roaming arrangements with a number of regional carriers, such as Centennial Wireless (Subsidiary of AT&T Mobility), Dobson (Subsidiary of AT&T Mobility), and Unicel (Verizon Wireless), and with the national carriers AT&T Mobility and the former Alltel (Verizon Wireless) GSM network. These carriers predominately provided service using the GSM 850 MHz band, and a dual band phone is required to use both the native and affiliate networks. When roaming on these affiliated networks airtime is deducted from the user's plan, as opposed to a surcharge, effectively expanding nationwide coverage.
As of 2008, prepaid customers have almost all of the postpaid domestic roaming privileges and restricted international roaming to Canada and Mexico.
While international roaming is available to most customers, it must first be activated through customer service. Once provisioned, there is no monthly fee to maintain international roaming coverage.
T-Mobile HotSpots
A T-Mobile HotSpot is a Wi-Fi based internet access point, generically called a hotspot, which provides high-speed wireless internet access to computers and electronic devices within a distance of approximately 300 ft (90 m). The T-Mobile HotSpot service operates a nationwide collection of approximately 8,350 access points, installed in venues such as Starbucks coffeehouses (which will remain unchanged in spite of Starbucks migrating to AT&T), Borders Books and Music stores, FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Centers, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Red Roof Inns, Sofitel and Novotel Hotels, the airline clubs of American Airlines, Delta, United Airlines and US Airways, and throughout a few airports and/or airport terminals.
The service was formed in 2002 when T-Mobile USA acquired the assets of MobileStar, a bankrupt wireless ISP that had been installing a collection of access points in venues such as Starbucks coffee shops, Hilton Hotels, and in American Airlines Admiral Club since 1998. Branded as T-Mobile HotSpots , the service was initially expanded into 400 Borders bookstores, as well as 100 of the most-frequented airport clubs and lounges operated by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.
Unlimited HotSpot Calling and @Home
T-Mobile's Unlimited HotSpot Calling service is a Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) service that enables a wireless handset to make and receive calls via an internet-connected Wi-Fi network instead of the cellular network. The service is an add-on feature costing $9.99 on an existing plan (paying $39.99 and up). This fee allows for basic unlimited calling to any number in the US from any compatible open Wi-Fi network worldwide, as well as US T-Mobile HotSpot locations.
In order to use the service, customers must use a UMA handset and have access to a wireless router. For use at home, T-Mobile branded wireless routers manufactured by D-Link or Linksys are available and claim advantages such as prioritizing voice calls and helping to preserve phone battery life, however most wireless routers work with the service and new equipment is not required.
If the Unlimited HotSpot Calling add-on service is removed from the service plan, a UMA handset will still be able to connect to WiFi routers for digital quality calls but minutes used will be deducted from the user's rate plan. This is applicable in locations where cellular signal coverage is inadequate, enabling the wireless router to operate as a femtocell.
The service was initially soft-launched in select stores in the Seattle, Washington area. The nationwide service was launched on July 2 , 2007 to all of T-Mobile's customers.
T-Mobile also offers a landline replacement service called T-Mobile @Home . Using the same UMA technology to offer unlimited nationwide calling, the service requires a T-Mobile @Home branded Linksys router or adapter connected to an already existing high speed internet connection. The service is similar to offerings from other VoIP companies like Vonage, Comcast Digital Voice, or Verizon VoiceWing and launched nationally in the Fall of 2008 after two years of test marketing under the name T-Mobile Hotspot @Home. The name was changed at launch in order to avoid confusion with Unlimited Hotspot Calling and T-Mobile Hotspot Wi-Fi services.
The full list of features for @Home's are: basic caller ID, basic voicemail, Call waiting, Call forwarding, and Conference calling. As is the case of some other VoIP providers, fax transmittances currently don't work on this service. Calls within North America are unlimited. However, without the monthly $5 international discounted calling (add-on) package, those international calls are largely billed at T-Mobile's regular mobile phone rates.
- Hotspot and @Home devices:
- D-Link models: TM-G5240
- Linksys models: WRT54G-TM · WRTU54G-TM · UTA200-TM
- VTech models: 5146 · TM3111-2
3G upgrade
In September 2006, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) offered, at auction, licenses in the first Advanced Wireless Services band. This band was an area of wireless spectrum, half in the 1700 MHz (1.7 GHz) and half in the 2100 MHz (2.1 GHz) frequencies, that was already in use by government services but would be available at some point in the future when those services moved to different frequencies.
The auction made numerous licenses available in overlapping market-area, economic-areas, and regional levels. Each license was individually bid upon, and T-Mobile was the winner in 120 license auctions, at an aggregate price of $4.18 billion. As part of its winnings, T-Mobile gained nationwide coverage of 1.7 GHz and 2.1 GHz, with numerous areas being supplemented with addition licenses. Examples include New York City, Chicago, and Boston where T-Mobile acquired one-third (33%) of the available spectrum, or San Francisco, Houston, and Miami where they acquired 45% of the available spectrum.
Two weeks after confirming their winning bids, on October 6, 2006, T-Mobile announced their intentions to create a UMTS third generation, or 3G, cellular network with the spectrum they had won. T-Mobile USA said it would utilize and build on the experience of T-Mobile Europe, which already implemented its own 3G network, and at
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