T-Mobile USA to launch 4G LTE service in 2013

T-Mobile USA to launch 4G LTE service in 2013
Fourth-placed T-Mobile USA won't get LTE until 2013

T-Mobile USA has revealed its plans to have a full 4G LTE network in place for 2013.

The company has been relying on HSPA+42 speeds for its "4G" offerings up until now, but is focused on bringing a full LTE service as customers continue to flee the network.

Following some disappointing Q4 earnings figures, the company said: "T-Mobile USA is reinvigorating its challenger strategy, which includes a major network modernization plan to launch LTE in 2013."

T-Mobile will be the last of the big four carriers in the US to have a 4G LTE offering at its disposal, with Sprint expected to unveil its own service by the middle of this year.

Falling off the spectrum

It was thought that T-Mobile would struggle to acquire enough of that all-important spectrum in order to launch a competitive 4G network.

However, the company acquired some of the mobile airwaves as part of a compensation package when AT&T's multi-billion dollar agreement to buy T-Mobile fell through.

The company will also invest $1.4 billion of its own cash in buying up new spectrum of its own.

No iPhone woes

T-Mobile will look to bounce back in 2012, following a tough Q4 where it lost 802,000 contract customers, most of whom jumped ship to iPhone-equipped networks.

Philipp Humm, the company's CEO and President, says: "not carrying the iPhone led to a significant increase in contract deactivations in the fourth quarter of 2011."

Via: AllThingsD

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.