iPhone 4S Coming to U.S. Regional Carrier C Spire Wireless

[macinnv]

So the Galaxy Nexus will work on AT&T 3G and Tmobile 3G with a simple sim swap and changing the APN in settings? Because the Nexus S I have doesn't work like that and yes it is unlocked. Which Blackberry model does RIM sell unlocked that also works on all 3G with a sim swap? Please educate me, and I'll confess that Apple is behind then.

Im curious as well now, so I'll do some research and get back with what I find. Looking at the spec sheet of the Galaxy Nexus, it confirms it would work on both ATT and T-Mobile. However, its to early to tell if carriers or Google themselves would block the user from doing that in their software.

As for whether Apple is behind in technology, it could just be simplicity - I bet less frequency bands equals better quality, smaller chip, lower cost etc.

 

[Therbo]

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T-Mobile uses 1700/2100MHz AWS for all 3G on their US network, because in their long-ass delay AT&T hogged all of the 850MHz band and there wasn't any left. That's why using an iPhone on T-Mo only gets you EDGE service, and conversely why T-Mo doesn't sell iPhones.

There were probably plans to launch an iPhone on their network this time around, which were canned due to the buyout. Odd, because there are plenty of Latin America (and I think a Canadian) providers that use the 1700/2100 band. However, while plenty of people would buy iPhones from those markets they probably aren't "worth the investment".

I think what REALLY floors me is none of the prepaid companies (particularly Virgin Mobile, which still carries a "cool" vibe despite being a prepaid carrier) have the iPhone. Maybe Apple is paranoid of getting in with the "trashy prepaid crowd", but I'm guessing that the iphone is already a drug dealer favorite (just as german luxury cars are)

Prepaid iPhones are actually really popular in Europe, as in really popular,

 

[BenRoethig]

T-Mobile uses 1700/2100MHz AWS for all 3G on their US network, because in their long-ass delay AT&T hogged all of the 850MHz band and there wasn't any left. That's why using an iPhone on T-Mo only gets you EDGE service, and conversely why T-Mo doesn't sell iPhones.

There were probably plans to launch an iPhone on their network this time around, which were canned due to the buyout. Odd, because there are plenty of Latin America (and I think a Canadian) providers that use the 1700/2100 band. However, while plenty of people would buy iPhones from those markets they probably aren't "worth the investment".

I think what REALLY floors me is none of the prepaid companies (particularly Virgin Mobile, which still carries a "cool" vibe despite being a prepaid carrier) have the iPhone. Maybe Apple is paranoid of getting in with the "trashy prepaid crowd", but I'm guessing that the iphone is already a drug dealer favorite (just as german luxury cars are)

Just about every regional GSM carrier uses AWS as well.

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Prepaid iPhones are actually really popular in Europe, as in really popular,

Europe's prime for that because of both the cellular network and legislation. The US market is heavily CDMA based, the majority of the GSM carriers use band IV AWS for 3G, and the legislation favors the carriers so the phones are locked into the carriers.

 

[rneglia]

Ain't happening. Virgin, Boost, MetroPCS. They are based on the premise that you buy your phone outright. How many of their customers would buy the iPhone4 for $549? So no, won't happen until a lower tier iPhone can be had for $299. Which is probably a couple of years out and by that time will be too late to matter for those carriers.

I would, for a 4S.

 

[tasset]

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Prepaid iPhones are actually really popular in Europe, as in really popular,

Yes, and how much do prepaid iPhones in Europe cost? People (not everyone but the mass majority) in the US would go ******* paying that much.

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I would, for a 4S.

So would I. The problem is, and you can refute this, that Virgin Mobile's target audience is not people who will pay that much for a phone.

 

[theanimala]

If they'd get rid of that horrible woman on their commercials, they might be able to get the iphone.

WWWHHHAAATTT????? That chick is smokin', and the only reason I would consider a t-mobile phone with their crappy services is the thought that she might come to my house and service me.

 

[Therbo]

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Prepaid iPhones are actually really popular in Europe, as in really popular,

Yes, and how much do prepaid iPhones in Europe cost? People (not everyone but the mass majority) in the US would go ******* paying that much.

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I would, for a 4S.

So would I. The problem is, and you can refute this, that Virgin Mobile's target audience is not people who will pay that much for a phone.

In a contract you pay the phone cost over 18/24 months,

In SIM-only you pay the phone cost in one go.

For PAYG/SIM Only you only end up paying slightly more

It may look like we pay loads for phones, but we get cheaper tarriffs

Although on long term contracts the upfront cost is cheap, the carriers will still unlock your Phone quite easily

 

[tasset]

Im curious as well now, so I'll do some research and get back with what I find. Looking at the spec sheet of the Galaxy Nexus, it confirms it would work on both ATT and T-Mobile. However, its to early to tell if carriers or Google themselves would block the user from doing that in their software.

As for whether Apple is behind in technology, it could just be simplicity - I bet less frequency bands equals better quality, smaller chip, lower cost etc.

Yeah please do, thanks. The Nexus S as I recall was sold in two versions (one compatible with AT&T 3G and another with Tmobile 3G). Both are unlocked but only work on each other's Edge network (yay....).
If the Galaxy Nexus gets both carrier's 3G in the same device then I will be both shocked and interested.

 

[MacCurry]

This is not an engineering problem for Apple to incorporate the 1700 MHz AWS band in the iPhone, but rather a business decision by the DT board in Germany that owns TMO USA. TMO USA never pursued having the iPhone on its network because of the ATT acquisition.

Right now, the ATT acquisition of TMO USA is in doubt and is improbable that it will go through due to complaints of a duopoly. There are 7 states, Puerto Rico and Sprint joining the DoJ complaint. ATT states that if the merger does not go through, then TMO USA is not financially viable and will be shut down. Having the iPhone on their network would invalidate the ATT argument.

Remember the DT board in Germany is getting 8% ownership of ATT + $39 billion in cash for TMO USA.

Now that said, I am a TMO USA customer and I use an iPad 2 with ATT 3G. ATT data rates are horrible compared to the 3G/4G network of TMO USA. At this time I am happy with the average 11-15 Mbits/sec on TMO USA compared to the 1-3 MBits/sec with ATT. The only phone I would consider on the TMO USA network is the Galaxy S II Hercules as it supports 1700/1900 and 2100 MHz data which will work on any GSM carrier in the world.

Whatever phones TMO USA is getting are those which were agreed upon earlier with the manufacturer. TMO USA is NEVER going to get the iPhone or the Galaxy Nexus. Although, the Galaxy Nexus will work on TMO USA AWS 1700 MHz 4G network, but you will have to buy it overseas or on-line for nearly $600 or more.

 

[iSaint]

So they are in Alabama? Do you get a free pig with each phone? Squeal!

No, they're in Ridgeland, Mississippi. The entirety of the iPhone's application use is based on southern accent voice response because we can't read.

 

[dukemeiser]

This at least gives me hope for a US Cellular iPhone.

US Cellular = 6,100,000 subscribers

C Spire = 900,000 subscribers

 

[unlimitedx]

Anybody notice that C Spire Wireless is planning to charge extra for "streaming"?

I wonder if the larger carriers will follow suit on this idea.

 

[Ugg]

First of all, it will take more than a couple months to justify paying all the phone cost upfront. But in general you are correct.
Second, the US market doesn't work that way. Our tongues drop back in our throat when we see a $300 sticker price let alone $500-$600. The subsidized "cheap" phone is too engrained and we pay way too much over the contract length. But then b!tch about being locked in to a contract.

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Sounds like a bet. Throw out a number, and if you say less than $500 I'll take you up on it.

I get sticker shock when I see that a contract plan with ATT is going to cost me $2400 for two years in comparison to the $600 I would pay for Virgin Mobile.

How about half the cost of an iPhone 4S?!

Just because other people in the US are that way, doesn't mean everybody is that way. If the carriers would offer a cheaper plan for people who bring their own phones, then more people would start buying phones outright.

Carriers should sell the service, not the device. Thats why all carriers should have been GSM from the getgo in the US.

I wish the US had passed laws like the EU did. The US pays more, gets worse service and still doesn't really own their phone. What a ripoff.

I would, for a 4S.

Same here.

The problem is, and you can refute this, that Virgin Mobile's target audience is not people who will pay that much for a phone.

Whoa, there pardner. There are a lot of prepaid users just like me. In a month I talk less than 300 minutes, send fewer than 100 texts and don't watch streaming video on my phone, rather use the internet simply for looking up info on a casual basis. For doing that, I see no point in spending $2400 every two years when I can spend $600 instead. Even by buying a new iPhone I'd still pay less than half of someone on a contract.

Prepaid iPhones will totally take off in the US once Apple allows it.

 

[walterhpdx]

Credo Mobile

I want Apple to get the phone to Credo Mobile. They re-sell the Sprint spectrum, and are a progressive company - so a really good fit for Apple.

 

[rumz]

You would think, but Tmobile tried doing that a year ago (Google search Tmobile black project) which obviously failed seeing how they are seeking to be acquired. Plus the carriers aren't in a rush to "cheapen" there rates, even if it means they aren't subsidizing hardware. They like that locked-in revenue stream, not fly-by-night customers as they would be called.

I can't vouch for how it's going right now for T-Mobile, but they're doing this again (cheaper rates when you buy your own phone), with an addition. I've got a family plan -- 2 lines-- $50 for each line gets me unlimited talk, text, and data (throttled after 2gb, of course). This of course does *not* subsidize a phone.

Now, I can either bring my own phone (which I did), or another option is that they'll subsidize a phone for you on a wholly separate agreement. Basically you pay the usual $100-$200 or whatever the subsidized price would be, and then you have a monthly payment for x number of months-- which amounts to paying for the subsidized portion month to month (like a 0% interest fixed term loan). You don't have to renew your rate plan to do this, it's a separate agreement-- which IMO is awesome.

That'd be roughly $20 a month to pay for an iPhone (the $450 subsidized amount they all have-- bringing my half of the bill to $70) for 24 months. Still cheaper than what Sprint is offering.

I doubt it'd be much harder to talk customers into buying an iPhone with that kind of agreement (credit for the remaining value of the phone) vs. a certain rate plan.

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Whoa, there pardner. There are a lot of prepaid users just like me. In a month I talk less than 300 minutes, send fewer than 100 texts and don't watch streaming video on my phone, rather use the internet simply for looking up info on a casual basis. For doing that, I see no point in spending $2400 every two years when I can spend $600 instead. Even by buying a new iPhone I'd still pay less than half of someone on a contract.

Prepaid iPhones will totally take off in the US once Apple allows it.

Yep. Prepaid carriers just need to paint that bigger picture of overall savings over the life of the phone / plan.

 

[andiwm2003]

..............................................................................................................................

Whoa, there pardner. There are a lot of prepaid users just like me. In a month I talk less than 300 minutes, send fewer than 100 texts and don't watch streaming video on my phone, rather use the internet simply for looking up info on a casual basis. For doing that, I see no point in spending $2400 every two years when I can spend $600 instead. Even by buying a new iPhone I'd still pay less than half of someone on a contract.

Prepaid iPhones will totally take off in the US once Apple allows it.

+1

I can easily afford a unlocked phone and ATT's cost. I just don't see why I should pay $2400 for my usage. It's ridiculous. I use less than 450 min, hate texting so I have 10 texts a month, never ever listen to internet radio or stream video, use occasional email (have wifi at work and home). Adding the horrible coverage of ATT makes it not worth the $2400 over two years.

I hope apple see's the trend and opens up the iPhone to T-Mobile. It can't be a problem to get the chips and antenna in. Everybody does it and Apple will sell more than a million iPhones to T-Mobile customers. That equals more then $500 million in sales.

 

[rumz]

On AWS

According to This is my Next, Cricket and MetroPCS also rely on AWS and are thus unlikely to get the iPhone 4S.

I understand the argument that Sprint agreed to buy so many iPhones in order to get Apple to agree to play ball (though from a technical standpoint it's not like Apple had to bend over backwards to make it happen, since it's more or less the same as a Verizon iPhone, just programmed for Sprint's network).

But then Apple is offering this to C-Spire? Who has less than $1 mil subscribers? Certainly they didn't fork over billions to get the iPhone.

Perhaps Apple is content at their current rate of expansion in the US market-- there's no lack of demand for their current offering. And perhaps they're still working on engineering a phone that will work on AWS in addition to the frequencies they already support.

T-Mobile did say they wouldn't have the new iPhone "this year", but who knows. Verizon got the iPhone 4 in early 2011. While many may view it as unlikely (due to having additional models / SKU's etc), it's still a possibility they could introduce an AWS variant early 2012.

 

[reedlight]

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So they are in Alabama? Do you get a free pig with each phone? Squeal!

And a box of Ammo of your choice.

I bet Tim Cook would love where this conversation is going...

 

[rumz]

+1

I can easily afford a unlocked phone and ATT's cost. I just don't see why I should pay $2400 for my usage. It's ridiculous. I use less than 450 min, hate texting so I have 10 texts a month, never ever listen to internet radio or stream video, use occasional email (have wifi at work and home). Adding the horrible coverage of ATT makes it not worth the $2400 over two years.

I hope apple see's the trend and opens up the iPhone to T-Mobile. It can't be a problem to get the chips and antenna in. Everybody does it and Apple will sell more than a million iPhones to T-Mobile customers. That equals more then $500 million in sales.

+1. Exactly. I want more flexibility / choice, less stuff being forced down my throat that I never used.

Played this game for years with Sprint. First they made me increase my family plan minutes to 700 in order to qualify for unlimited SMS on the plan (which was a wash-- the other rate for unlimited would cost me the same but get me less minutes). Then, in 2009, they required me to move my family plan to an "Everything Data" plan which included 1500 minutes. 1500 minutes of which I wasn't even using a fraction of. (So in response, I found a way to get a 25% discount-- so instead of my bill going up, it went down just a bit).

Then they came up with this $10 premium data add on... which they tried to tack onto my plan when I replaced my phone with an identical phone that I had bought used... I use maybe 200-300mb a month on my phone.

I've just had it with the old cellular carrier business model.

 

[jonod85]

+1. Exactly. I want more flexibility / choice, less stuff being forced down my throat that I never used.

Played this game for years with Sprint. First they made me increase my family plan minutes to 700 in order to qualify for unlimited SMS on the plan (which was a wash-- the other rate for unlimited would cost me the same but get me less minutes). Then, in 2009, they required me to move my family plan to an "Everything Data" plan which included 1500 minutes. 1500 minutes of which I wasn't even using a fraction of. (So in response, I found a way to get a 25% discount-- so instead of my bill going up, it went down just a bit).

Then they came up with this $10 premium data add on... which they tried to tack onto my plan when I replaced my phone with an identical phone that I had bought used... I use maybe 200-300mb a month on my phone.

I've just had it with the old cellular carrier business model.

I think you guys are spot on with this line of thought.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this: looking through CSpire's website, ALL the phones they currently offer are available for contract plans AND prepaid (unlike Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint who, in order to entice customers into contracts, wait for the phones to be a year old or so before putting them out for prepaid use).

It seems like there's a good chance CSpire might be the first CDMA network to offer authorized 3G prepaid plans for an unlocked iPhone? A sign of things to come for other prepaid networks?

I think there's definitely a market for it.

 

[SpinThis!]

This at least gives me hope for a US Cellular iPhone.

US Cellular = 6,100,000 subscribers

C Spire = 900,000 subscribers

Exactly! Everybody keeps saying USC isn't worth Apple's time.

I sent a message to Cook about this awhile back, never got a response but the day USC gets the iPhone is the day I'm switching back over. I know a bunch of family and friends who would dump their current phones and get one because it's on USC and they don't want to switch. Send them feedback.

 

[mentalward]

Apple could support T-Mobile NOW

Maybe use frequencies tat are supported on the chipset Apple is using.

The current Verizon iPhone 4 and all iPhone 4S models have support for T-Mobile's 1700MHz AWS 3G spectrum now (via their Qualcomm MDM6600/6610 chipsets). All Apple would have to do is enable it in firmware.

 

[KYPackrat]

According to This is my Next, Cricket and MetroPCS also rely on AWS and are thus unlikely to get the iPhone 4S.

I understand the argument that Sprint agreed to buy so many iPhones in order to get Apple to agree to play ball (though from a technical standpoint it's not like Apple had to bend over backwards to make it happen, since it's more or less the same as a Verizon iPhone, just programmed for Sprint's network).

It's possible that Sprint is "reselling" its block of mandatory iPhone 4s to companies like C Spire, especially if CSpire outsources its activation to Sprint.

This still makes Cricket and MetroPCS as "possibles", but not likely.

I WANT the iPhone on Cricket. I don't care about data; I'll buy a hotspot for that. I just want the iPhone, and a $35 a month PayGo phone account. If it means I have to wait for jail breaking, so be it.

 

[charlituna]

I'm thinking T-Mobile was left out because of the pending acquisition by AT&T.

Yep. Why go to the effort to support a non standard GSM when they are in the process of trying to sell out to someone else.

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Wow-I live in California and never heard of this regional carrier.

They are in like Mississippi and Alabama

But this makes me wonder who this will work. Apple made two sets of CDMA skus for covering Verizon and Sprint because apparently they have to program the network when they flash the OS on the iPhone. So what now they would make another set for every smaller group that wants the iPhone. Seems like a lot of work for a company that at most might get them 900k subscribers (CSpire's supposed number).

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that this is bogus or at least not set in stone and they are announcing it now to avoid bleed off to Sprint and Verizon. And then in a few weeks when they have pretty much everyone near to the end of a contract locked into new contracts they will announce it has been delayed but they are still working on it and so on

 

[Caliber26]

I don't think this would do well on Metro PCS. I absolutely hate to say this, but that carrier in particular appears to cater to a very specific demographic that's mainly comprised of individuals who opt for cheaper, pre-paid service because it's within their price range, devices are affordable, and don't have to worry about passing credit checks. If Metro PCS were to pick up the iPhone they would have to subsidize it in order to see significant sales numbers (not saying they wouldn't sell any). And if they do subsidize, they'd have to lock customers into multi-year commitments and, more importantly, they'd have to subject them to credit checks. Those two things are what appeals to most who use their service.