DeutscheTelekom -- Engadget

DeutscheTelekom posts

T-Mobile negotiating to expand 4G service, Catherine Zeta-Jones going door-to-door

by Laura June posted Sep 23rd 2009 at 3:24PM

Word is that Deutsche Telekom (the parent company of T-Mobile) is now actively engaged in talks with Clearwire and MetroPCS to expand its 4G network. This isn't terribly shocking to hear, considering that most other providers (including AT&T, Verizon and Sprint) are already either heavy into negotiations or in the process of upgrading their infrastructure. Though the company hasn't yet said anything about planned expansions, word is its looking for the most "cost-effective" way to build nationwide networks capable of higher speeds.

Sprint buy apparently not on the table for Deutsche Telekom -- yet

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 15th 2009 at 10:24PM

Eerily mirroring the situation with T-Mobile in the UK, disgruntled Deutsche Telekom shareholders are apparently now turning their attention to the company's US outpost, now that the British woes are on the fast track to resolution thanks to a tie-up with Orange. The Financial Times is reporting that the bell isn't tolling quite yet for T-Mobile USA -- key players are still on board with the company's plan to get back into the game with an accelerated 3G rollout, which means that alternative strategies aren't actively being considered right this second. Word has it that the clock has been set for mid-2010, though, at which point red ink on the balance sheet is going to mean a more drastic change in direction -- something like a merger with Sprint or a move to transform the carrier into an ultra-value brand concentrating on prepaid service with a possible MetroPCS or Leap / Cricket buy. What color do you get when you combine magenta and yellow, anyway?

Deutsche Telekom eyeing Sprint Nextel for acquisition?

by Ross Miller posted Sep 13th 2009 at 5:19PM

With T-Mobile UK and Orange now having to (potentially) learn to play nice, Deutsche Telekom is already looking ahead to its next big target: Sprint Nextel. According to a Telegraph report, the telecom giant, with an estimated value of $60.45 billion, has called in advisers from Deutsche Bank as it reportedly prepares to submit an offer to the $10.6 billion-valued Now Network within the next three weeks. The assimilation of Sprint and Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Mobile US under the same umbrella could give second-place AT&T a fight with a 78.2 million-strong customer base... but that said, we wouldn't anticipate any quick or smooth merger given the US carriers rely on substantially different bands (CDMA vs. GSM) for service. Hey, there's always WiMAX might come into play. Obviously there's a lot of unanswered questions here, but at this point it's all speculation given no actual offer has been thrown on the table -- and we bet Hesse will have some choice words on the matter. Keep an eye out on this one, things could very quickly get very, very interesting here.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Kindle's German launch stalled by T-Mobile and Vodafone?

by Ross Miller posted Jul 1st 2009 at 1:56AM

A news item is circulating the internet reportedly from German business weekly Wirtschaftswoche claiming Amazon is facing a major hurdle in trying to bring its Kindle to Deutschland. The problem at hand? The two big wireless providers in the country, Vodafone and T-Mobile, are both saying "nein" to providing Whispernet service, and apparently the issue has to do with how much money Amazon was willing to give -- unsurprising, if true. Another, very likely reason for T-Mobile's unwillingness is that parent company Deutsche Telekom is rumored to be working on its own e-book reader, and we gotta believe those company picnics would be mighty awkward if a large subsidiary was given the competition a major boost. We can't imagine this stopping Amazon for long, and we'd be very surprised if the Kindle didn't find some way to sneak itself into the region sooner or later.

T-Mobile UK apparently being pressured to merge or bust

by Donald Melanson posted May 1st 2009 at 4:39PM

There's not exactly a ton of details on this one, but it looks like Deutsche Telekom CFO Timotheus Hoettges caused a bit of a stir at the company's recently shareholder meeting, where he reportedly suggested that T-Mobile UK would likely have to merge with another carrier or face the possibility of going bust. Specifically, Hoettges said that "in our view consolidation is a means to take excess capabilities out of the market," adding somewhat ominously that "nothing is unthinkable on our side." Of course, that immediately brings up the question of which carrier T-Mobile might merge with, and MarketingWeek suggests that one of the most likely suitors would be 3, which it currently ranked fifth in the UK market right behind T-Mobile, although O2, Orange, and Vodafone would no doubt also be in the running.

[Via Electronista]

Deutsche Telekom reportedly planning to offer e-book reader

by Donald Melanson posted Aug 4th 2008 at 1:58PM

Details are really light on this one at the moment, but Germany's Der Spiegel apparently has it on authority that Deutsche Telekom is working on an e-book reader of its own, a move that follows a similar initiative from France Telecom's Orange division. Apparently, Deutsche Telekom's offering, dubbed News4Me, will be tailored specifically to delivering an "individual electronic newspaper" to users, with its content and layout able to "adapt constantly to the way that you read" -- we'd assume it'd boast some other standard e-book reader functions as well. Unfortunately, there's no indication at all as to what the device itself will be like, but Deutsche Telekom is reportedly set to begin conducting tests with "a few dozen" customers in Berlin sometime this fall -- assuming it's able to line up deals with newspapers and other content providers before then, that is.

[Via Crunch Gear]

More iPhone 3G details: future Apple-made chips, varying visual voicemail, and new video features

by Ryan Block posted Jun 15th 2008 at 5:14PM

There's still plenty of emerging details and news on the iPhone 3G kicking around, but here's what you need to know from the minor bits floating around over the past few days:

Jobs also told NYT that Apple's acquisition of PA Semi was, in fact, intended to reduce Apple's reliance on third-party chip makers. Specifically, he said, "PA Semi is going to do system-on-chips for iPhones and iPods." So, guess that's that.
Per the feature showing up missing on a number of Apple's international iPhone 3G product pages, iLounge compiled a list of carriers which may or may not planning on implementing visual voicemail. Vodafone in Europe, for example, will not have it at launch, and will delay its rollout until later this year.
A video of a new iPhone beta build running on live hardware shows videos now in portrait or landscape modes, and includes video playlists. We'll take it.
Although DT's iPhone page reads differently, German paper Welt has it that T-Mobile Germany will be selling it for €1 -- so basically free, not unlike O2's iPhone 3G launch in the UK.

Update: T-Mobile just made the German pricing official.

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]

Read - Jobs mentions PA Semi plans
Read - Visual voicemail support varies from carrier to carrier
Read - Beta build with portrait-mode video
Read - DT releasing it for €1 (see also their iPhone page)

T-Mobile loses magenta suit against Telia, we try not to laugh

by Nilay Patel posted May 28th 2008 at 3:17PM

Well, would you look at that -- our good friend Deutsche Telekom seems to have lost a lawsuit it filed against rival European wireless carrier Telia over its use of the color magenta in its logo. The Danish Eastern Regional High Court today ruled that Telia and DT don't compete directly in the Danish market and that Telia isn't using the same magenta shade, leading the court to overturn an injunction DT sought against Telia's use of the color. On top of that, the court further ruled that Deutsche Telekom has to fork over 1.5M kroner ($316,188) in court costs and attorneys' fees to Telia, which probably stings a little more than having to share a color. Of course, now that magenta is the People's Color, maybe DT should look into playing a little nicer, don't you think?

[Thanks, Andreas]

Deutsche Telekom looking to pick up Sprint?

by Ryan Block posted May 3rd 2008 at 12:28PM

Over the years our pals at Deutsche Telekom haven't exactly played the most aggressive game in the States, but finally we have word about the first possible suitor for the ailing Sprint. Although the rumor originates from German paper Der Spiegel and doesn't cite sources, word has it Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile USA are making the possibility of snagging Sprint (and all its heavy baggage, read: Nextel) a "top priority" in a bid to take a competitor out of the game and pick up the number three spot. Supposedly formal negotiations haven't even begun yet, but if you thought the integration between Sprint and Nextel was messy, just watch what happens when you bring a third carrier into the mix -- and did we mention the infrastructure would be GSM with AWS, PCS CDMA, and iDEN, all competing for spectrum and handset allocation? Good luck guys.

[Thanks, Khattab]

Painting the town magenta

by Ryan Block posted Apr 1st 2008 at 12:31PM

After yesterday's very real and not-at-all-fake story about Deutsche Telekom demanding Engadget discontinue using the color magenta, and today being what it is, we're putting up some new wallpaper on all the Engadget sites and ever so slightly tweaking Engadget Mobile's logo. We hope you approve!

P.S. -In a related side note, our old pals at Phone Scoop pinged us earlier this morning to let us know they've gone magenta for the day in an act of solidarity. Much love, Phone Scoop! Oh, and now so did Phone Arena, Fitch, and GearBits! Also, myself and some other eds are in on the action.

Deutsche Telekom / T-Mobile demands Engadget Mobile discontinue using the color magenta

by Ryan Block posted Mar 31st 2008 at 2:24PM

So last week Deutsche Telekom, owners of the global T-Mobile brand, sent Engadget a late birthday present: a hand-delivered letter direct from their German legal department requesting the prompt discontinuation of the use of the color magenta on Engadget Mobile. Yep, seriously.

Granted, we get nastygrams from angry tech companies practically every day, but rarely regarding anything that's not some piece of news we published that they're livid about having out in the open. And irony of ironies, this whole use-of-magenta thing is precisely the topic we took up last year on behalf of DT.

We spoke with David Beigie, vice president of corporate communications for T-Mobile US, who offered: "As a trademark owner, from time to time Deutsche Telekom looks at usage that could lead to confusion in the marketplace. The letter sent by DT merely outlines these perspectives and is meant to simply open a dialogue. Engadget continues to pioneer forums for discussion of wireless industry developments and innovation. T-Mobile respects the role Engadget and its readers play in advancing dialog on these important topics."

So in the interest of that open dialog we've posted Deutsche Telekom's letter below, as well as a handy guide to allay any confusion should you suddenly find yourself disoriented and trying to buy your next SideKick or MDA from Engadget Mobile.

P.S. -Not an early April Fool's joke.

Update: We went magenta! More here.

	Deutsche Telekom	Engadget Mobile
Cellphone carrier	Yep	No
Distributor of telecom equipment	Yep	No
Likely to be mistaken for T-Mobile / Deutsch Telekom	We certainly hope so	No
Former state-owned monopoly	Yep	No
Has something against US 3G	Apparently	No
Has more than five friends	Might not anymore	Yep

Gallery: Deutsche Telekom / T-Mobile demands Engadget Mobile discontinue using the color magenta

Vodafone Germany obtains restraining order against T-Mobile iPhone sales

by Thomas Ricker posted Nov 20th 2007 at 1:27AM

You'll have to bear with us on this one folks as the news is a bit muffled crossing the Atlantic, language, and cultural divides, but UK-based Vodafone has reportedly received a restraining order against T-Mobile's iPhone sales in Germany. Vodafone's issue is the exclusivity contract with Apple and fee structure within T-Mobile's subscription offering. What's odd here is the language of the Dow Jones piece which claims that the Hamburg order, issued Monday is, "prohibiting the German telecommunications giant from selling Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone in Germany." That sounds like a full stop (pending appeal) of all iPhone sales in Germany. The Financial Times, however, says that the order "will not disrupt sales" as the Christmas purchases accelerate. Vodafone is framing their argument around customer choice while admitting that it's the revenue sharing model, and possibility that Nokia or Ericsson follow suit, which has prompted the legal action. At least they're not sticking their heads in the sand this time.

Update: Dow Jones has now clarified the situation. A Vodafone spokesman says, "The preliminary injunction filed in Hamburg doesn't mean Telekom will have to cease marketing the product immediately." Deutsche Telekom is the parent of T-Mobile Germany. He goes on to say, "We're not taking any plans to replicate these actions anywhere else, or in the U.K."

[Via Appleinsider]

Read -- Dow Jones
Read -- Deutsche Telekom (translated)
Read -- FT

Know Your Rights: Does T-Mobile really own magenta?

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 9th 2007 at 4:53PM

Know Your Rights is Engadget's new technology law series, written by our own totally punk copyright attorney Nilay Patel. In it we'll try to answer some fundamental tech-law questions to help you stay out of trouble in this brave new world. Disclaimer: Although this post was written by an attorney, it is not meant as legal advice or analysis and should not be taken as such.

UPDATE: This story has gotten way, way funnier -- T-Mobile's parent company, Deutche Telekom, asked Engadget Mobile to stop using magenta. No, seriously. Full details here.

Hey, does T-Mobile really own magenta? I was just about to redesign my blog, and that was going to be the main color.

Really? Maybe T-Mo should sue you.

Come on, I've been hearing this everywhere. 1265 Diggs can't be wrong.

Well, they're not wrong, they're just less than right. T-Mobile's disclaimers certainly do say that "the magenta color" is a T-Mobile trademark.

So there you go! That's so stupid! The system is broken! Everyone is corrupt! How can a corporation own a color?! I've already skipped down and begun flaming!

Chill out, Sparky. T-Mobile doesn't "own" anything here, least of all a color. That's the part everyone seems to have missed. T-Mobile has what appears to be a German trademark on that specific magenta color (RAL 4010, specifically) as it relates to their branding, but that doesn't really affect the average consumer.

Besides, this isn't some radical new development. Lot of other companies have registered color trademarks -- Owens-Corning has a trademark on the use of pink for insulation, Tiffany & Co. has a trademark on that certain blue color it uses for jewelry boxes, and UPS has a trademark on brown. Interesting you haven't seen UPS suing Microsoft over that itty-bitty Zune thing, no?

Continue reading Know Your Rights: Does T-Mobile really own magenta?

iPhone for T-Mobile Germany announcement on the way?

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 14th 2007 at 10:20AM

Ever since (and perhaps before) the iPhone hit the US market, we've been hearing rumors of an imminent European release, which was confirmed by the company many, many months ago. Of course, there's been no movement besides rampant speculation and high-school style gossiping... but that may all be changing. According to the ridiculously-respected Reuters in an article published today, the German telephone giant Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile to you and me), has inked a deal with Apple to release the iPhone in the Fatherland (AKA Germany), with an official announcement to be made next week. The report (which is still considered rumor) claims that the phones will go on sale for the initial price of €399 ($554), and that Apple and T-Mobile will split voice and data revenue generated by the phones. Additionally, Reuters says that Apple will make similar arrangements with O2 for the UK, and Orange in France. If this news is accurate, it all but squashes the Vodafone deal rumors, but still leaves questions as to whether Apple will introduce a 3G version of the iPhone when it makes its announcements. Only El-Jobso knows for sure.

T-Mobile announcing German iPhone deal tomorrow?

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 3rd 2007 at 3:36PM

Perhaps demonstrating how wide the rift between T-Mobile Europe and T-Mobile USA really is, Germany's Rheinische Post is reporting that Deutsche Telekom will announce tomorrow that its carrier unit will exclusively offer the iPhone in Germany. Details on the partnership are slim at best, but the two most important nuggets of information seem to be known: November 1 for €450 (about $612), which we assume is for the 8GB unit. Of course, the next biggest question is whether this'll be an EDGE or 3G unit -- and if it's 3G, can we please get an HSDPA Enabler for $1.99? No?