T-Mobile USA Launches Effort to Attract 'Bring Your Own iPhone' Customers

MacRumors · Sep 10, 2012

While T-Mobile USA is preparing to refresh its employee training on "selling against the iPhone" later this month as Apple rolls out the iPhone 5, the carrier is also seeking to embrace those who already own an unlocked iPhone. T-Mobile today announced a new "Bring Your Own iPhone" initiative including demo iPhone units in its stores, new apps, and enhanced staff training to help iPhone owners get up and running on the only one of the four major U.S. carriers to not officially offer the iPhone for sale.

We see a big opportunity to make the experience of bringing an unlocked iPhone to T-Mobile even better for customers.

That's why, beginning September 12th, we're stepping up our efforts to attract customers with unlocked iPhones to T-Mobile. Each of our branded retail stores will receive an iPhone 4s demo unit and our sales staff will start training to help customers set up their compatible iPhone. We're also developing iOS versions of helpful T-Mobile applications like T-Mobile myAccount, T-Mobile Visual Voicemail and T-Mobile TV (we already offer an iOS version of our popular Bobsled application).

iPhone users on T-Mobile USA have long been limited to the carrier's slower 2G network due to incompatibilities between the iPhone and T-Mobile's 3G network, but the carrier has been working hard to refarm its spectrum to bring advanced 4G HSPA+ speeds to the iPhone and other devices. With that refarmed spectrum showing up in more and more markets, T-Mobile is touting the increased speed iPhone users will see on this network compared to AT&T.

In fact, we're already starting to turn up 4G HSPA+ service in our 1900 MHz spectrum. With sites already live in cities like Seattle, Las Vegas, Washington DC and the New York metro area, don't be surprised to hear reports of iPhone "speed sightings." We expect to have these improvements deployed in a large number of markets later this year.

Our internal tests of unlocked iPhone 4S devices running over 4G (HSPA+) on our 1900 network recorded on average 70% faster download speeds than iPhone 4S devices on AT&T's network.

T-Mobile is also touting significant savings for customers bringing their devices over from AT&T, noting that its $69.99/month Unlimited Talk, Text and Data plan is $50 cheaper than a plan from AT&T offering unlimited talk and text and 5 GB of data.

Article Link: T-Mobile USA Launches Effort to Attract 'Bring Your Own iPhone' Customers

GBrooks · Sep 10, 2012

Alright, you just look desperate now, T.

Leonard1818 · Sep 10, 2012

gotta keep on your toes.

184550 · Sep 10, 2012

I would be mildly interested when/ if they bring 4G/LTE to my area and announce costs.

KPOM · Sep 10, 2012

Why not take the release of the iPhone as an opportunity to announce that you'll be carrying the iPhone instead? It will be a hard sell to convince people to purchase an unlocked iPhone for $649 upfront, and there aren't many iPhone 4S models that are out of contract.

nfl46 · Sep 10, 2012

First word that came to mind was desperate.

kevinkt · Sep 10, 2012

Ok I'm sold!!! But how long is there rate gonna last???? It's cheap but I foresee them raising their fee

nick_elt · Sep 10, 2012

Hspa+ 4g????

Insert meme here.

OriginalMacRat · Sep 10, 2012

MacRumors said:
T-Mobile is also touting significant savings for customers bringing their devices over from AT&T, noting that its $69.99/month Unlimited Talk, Text and Data plan is $50 cheaper than a plan from AT&T offering unlimited talk and text and 5 GB of data.

Their even better plan is the 100min/5GB for $30/mo.

TouchMint.com · Sep 10, 2012

If you buy an iphone for full price will it come unlocked? I currently have an ATT contract but only for about 6 more months. How possible will it be for me to use att for the last 6 months of my contract and then go somewhere else with my phone?

iEnvy · Sep 10, 2012

I'm all for carrier diversity but T-Mobile just seems desperate. Their commercials are already annoying

milan03 · Sep 10, 2012

Respect to T-Mobile as they're doing everything possible to align with AT&T's frequencies, and stay competitive. They've had such a limited amount of spectrum to work with, but they've deployed ALL of their licences (unlike AT&T that's squatting on tons of spectrum), and their HSPA+ outperforms AT&T's here in NYC by order of magnitude! Also, next year their LTE will align with AT&T's band 4 AWS, so the iPhone will be LTE compatible with T-Mobile out of the box.

And btw, T-Mobile HSPA+ on PCS is actually on in parts of NYC:

Pared · Sep 10, 2012

Sorry, but you guys screaming desperation just don't get it.

I'm happy TMo is doing this. Why? COMPETITION. The more pressure they put on other carriers to lower their rates the better we are off as consumers.

ps45 · Sep 10, 2012

Maybe the 4S will work well with their network, but the performance I get with my iPhone 4 on T-mobile right now is piss poor.

chrmjenkins · Sep 10, 2012

They're doing everything short of offering bill credits to customers who bring their own iphone and sign up for a two year contract. (which I think they should do IMO).

kevinkt · Sep 10, 2012

Desperation or not. If its good it good!!

bushido · Sep 10, 2012

i could never afford a phone in the US lol

ChrisA · Sep 10, 2012

KPOM said:
Why not take the release of the iPhone as an opportunity to announce that you'll be carrying the iPhone instead? It will be a hard sell to convince people to purchase an unlocked iPhone for $649 upfront, and there aren't many iPhone 4S models that are out of contract.

But as these phones DO come off contract, T-Moble can provide air-time for them. It is a good long-term business idea. Their iPhone business will ramp up slow so they will be able to handle it. Slow ramp up might be a good idea for technical reasons.

Without having to hide a loan for a $650 phone in the contract t-moble can offer a lower price. People always seem to forget that airtime contracts always include a hidden high interest rate loan. t-moble will not need to hide those payments and can under cut the others.

technopimp · Sep 10, 2012

If I could use my iPhone on their $35/mo prepaid unlimited text & 4G (100 minutes talk) I'd do it all day long. I never talk on my phone anyway.

psac · Sep 10, 2012

chrmjenkins said:
They're doing everything short of offering bill credits to customers who bring their own iphone and sign up for a two year contract. (which I think they should do IMO).

That would get my attention.

elec999 · Sep 10, 2012

Didnt ATT try to purchase TMobile?

starzplacez · Sep 10, 2012

I am hoping that Apple will announce unlocked iPhone 5 on Wednesday along with carrier subsidized model. I will be willing to pay for that and switch to T-mobile the second 4G/LTE comes to Houston!

Mal · Sep 10, 2012

This is great. They are attracting AT&T customers without even having to sell them a new handset (meaning they reap more of the profit immediately instead of paying the subsidy to the handset manufacturer first).

I've been a T-Mobile customer for 10+ years, and never been dissatisfied with their service (occasionally with the coverage, but it's been vastly improved over the last ~5 years). I currently have a crap Samsung phone, but as soon as I can reasonably afford to get an iPhone I'm going to, and I'll be just about the last in my family to do so (ironic, since I'm the Apple tech in the family, although my little brother works for Apple directly). Most of my family is also on T-Mobile and uses iPhones, and since they picked up officially unlocked ones instead of jailbroken ones, I haven't received hardly any calls asking for help. The iPhone on T-Mobile is the best setup, except for the lack of a subsidy since they don't sell it directly.

jW

HangmanSwingset · Sep 10, 2012

I switched to T-Mobile around the 19th of last month.
Sucks that I'm on EDGE right now, but it gives me just enough speed to stream 107.7 the End.
Plus with 3G coming soon, things are only going to get better.
$30/month for 100 minutes, unlimited messaging, and unlimited data is pretty amazing, even if it's only the first 5GB at 3G/4G speeds.

Adam22 · Sep 10, 2012

when is the 1900 network gonna be deployed in Los Angeles

T-Mobile USA Launches Effort to Attract 'Bring Your Own iPhone' Customers

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