T-Mobile moves up to 75 live HSPA+ markets, says it's running the largest '4G' network in the US

T-Mobile is announcing this evening that it's now got 75 live HSPA+ markets online, with coverage for roughly 200 million Americans up and running by the end of 2010. That footprint will start off at a theoretical max downlink of 21Mbps, but the carrier will be looking to scale that to 42Mbps in 2011 with the capacity to upgrade to 84 and 168Mbps down the road -- all without ever worrying about LTE. The veracity of T-Mobile's insistence that this is a "4G" network remains debatable -- particularly in light of the ITU's ruling that only LTE-Advanced and WiMAX 2 qualify -- but then again, that same ruling would mean that neither Sprint, Verizon, nor T-Mobile really have 4G up and running in the strictest of terms, and it's hard to argue that these guys are pushing speeds that meet or exceed what either LTE or WiMAX can offer today.

To that end, the carrier is kicking off a new television ad campaign today where it proudly boasts that it's operating the nation's largest 4G network, which is sure to ruffle some feathers and set the stage for some drama-filled mudslinging among the big boys as they ramp up their next-gen networks across the country. New markets include Chicago, Colorado Springs, Ft. Wayne, Louisville, Raleigh-Durham, and Wilmington, NC, and new devices include the myTouch 4G -- officially launching tomorrow -- and the Dell Mini 10 4G, which as you can probably guess is a garden-variety Mini 10 with HSPA+ compatibility on the AWS band. Follow the break for T-Mobile's full press release.

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T-Mobile 4G Service Now Available in More Markets and on New Devices

T-Mobile HSPA+-Enabled 4G Network Now Reaches Over 75 Metropolitan Markets

New T-Mobile myTouch 4G and 4G Netbook
Take Advantage of Blazing-Fast Wireless Broadband Speeds

BELLEVUE, Wash. - Nov. 2, 2010 - T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the expansion of its 4G mobile broadband network to six additional metro areas, and introduced two new products designed to tap into its 4G service. Tomorrow marks the national retail availability of the
T-Mobile® myTouch® 4G and T-Mobile's first 4G netbook, the Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 4G. With typical download speeds that are on par with or faster than competing 4G technologies, and service availability in 75 metropolitan markets throughout the United States, the
T-Mobile network now offers a super-fast, next generation mobile broadband experience to more people than any other wireless network in the country.

"4G is about performance and today T-Mobile's HSPA+ network is delivering 4G speeds that match and often beat WiMAX and are comparable to what early LTE will deliver. Our 4G network is capable of theoretical speeds up to 21Mbps and we have seen average download speeds approaching five Mbps on our myTouch 4G phone in some cities with peak speeds of nearly 12 Mbps. Further, independent reviewers have seen average download speeds on our webConnect Rocket between 5 and 8 Mbps with peak speeds up to 8-10Mbps," said Neville Ray, chief technology officer, T-Mobile USA. "The footprint of our 4G service is not something that competitors are going to match anytime soon, and starting today, we will begin marketing our network advantage with TV commercials advertising 'America's Largest 4G Network' from T-Mobile."

The "America's Largest 4G Network" message will be communicated in an iconic, arresting and memorable way through national TV and digital advertisements that will begin airing today on major TV networks and cable TV stations, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and TNT, and appearing on websites, including AOL, MSN, Amazon.com and easily viewable on T-Mobile's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/tmobile.

T-Mobile expanded the availability of its 4G network to six additional metropolitan areas, including Chicago, Ill.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Ft. Wayne, Ind.; Louisville, Ky.; and Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington, N.C. T-Mobile customers with 4G devices in 75 metropolitan areas can now enjoy faster Web browsing, uninterrupted video streaming and quicker downloads at no additional cost.

"Consumers do not understand the technical alphabet soup of technologies involved in 4G, but for our purposes we define WiMAX, LTE and HSPA+ as 4G technologies," said Chris Nicoll, distinguished research fellow, Yankee Group. "HSPA+ is evolving a far more ambitious and long-term road map than was originally envisioned. T-Mobile is using an upgrade to HSPA+ to deliver faster 4G speeds today and is quickly bringing a number of HSPA+ devices to market that greatly enhance the mobile data experience for its customers."


In addition to the network expansion, T-Mobile continues to broaden its lineup of products that tap into its 4G network. Available today is the stylish and powerful T-Mobile myTouch 4G smartphone. Designed to access faster speeds on T-Mobile's 4G network, the myTouch 4G also includes a front-facing camera for Video Chat through Yahoo! Messenger or QIK, HD Camcorder with Screen Share by Twonky™, 5-megapixel camera with flash, Android 2.2, and additional exclusive T-Mobile features such as Genius Button™, powered by Dragon Dictation from Nuance Communications, myModes and Faves Gallery™. The myTouch 4G is appearing in a national ad campaign beginning today and will be the featured device at T-Mobile retail stores nationwide this holiday season.
Also available today is the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 4G, T-Mobile's first netbook to feature built-in access to T-Mobile's 4G mobile broadband network. It also includes Windows 7 Starter Edition - Microsoft Corp.'s latest operating system - and a fast processor for easy Web surfing, communication, photo sharing and multimedia playback in one small, ultraportable device.

"With an upgrade path that continues to provide room for considerable speed enhancements, T-Mobile's 4G network is purpose-built for continued growth. We are now on pace to increase our 4G footprint - reaching 200 million people by the end of this year - with plans to offer 42Mbps theoretical speeds in 2011," added Ray. "As customer demand for wireless data increases, T-Mobile is well-positioned to compete based on the speed, breadth and evolution path of our mobile broadband service."

Additional 4G products already available from T-Mobile and designed to take advantage of the faster 4G service include the T-Mobile webConnect® Rocket™ 2.0 laptop stick and the high-powered T-Mobile G2™ with Google™ smartphone. T-Mobile's 4G smartphones, the myTouch 4G and the T-Mobile G2, are powered by the Android 2.2 operating system, which provides tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing capabilities. Beginning this holiday season, T-Mobile will offer a Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing service plan that allows customers to use their smartphone as wireless modem for connecting laptops and other devices to the Internet through the T-Mobile mobile broadband network. Customers can add the Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing plan to their Web – Unlimited $30/monthly plan for an additional $14.99/month.

Product Availability
T-Mobile plans to offer a selection of affordable data plans for both smartphones and broadband products, with smartphone data plans starting as low as $10/month. T-Mobile customers do not pay a premium for access to its 4G network. For more information on T-Mobile products, services, pricing and promotions, visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

The myTouch 4G is available nationwide tomorrow through T-Mobile retail stores, online at http://www.t-mobile.com, at select third-party dealers, and at leading national retailers including Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam's Club and Target. Customers can visit http://mytouch.t-mobile.com for more information about the myTouch family of smartphones including the myTouch 4G.

The Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 4G is available tomorrow at http://www.t-mobile.com.