T-Mobile Begins $99 iPhone 5 Sales, Sees Lines At Retail Stores

t-mo-line

T-Mobile is kicking off its official sales of the iPhone 5 today, marking the first time the U.S.’ fourth largest carrier has offered an Apple smartphone. Thanks to T-Mo’s new Uncarrier plans, the iPhone 5 can be had starting at just $99, with two years of $20 monthly payments to cover the balance, or for free if you’re switching from another carrier and bring a device in for trade. So far, so good, according to reports of lines forming at retail stores for a phone that’s now over six months old.

BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk tweeted the photo above of a line at a location this morning, and reports on Twitter suggest that small lines are forming at various locations around the U.S. Our own intern Michael Seo said there was a small one outside the T-Mobile store near our New York offices when he came into work this morning.

The appetite for the T-Mobile iPhone is good news for both Apple and the small carrier. T-Mobile’s existing potential reach only represents around 26.1 million total additional subscribers for Apple (a smaller percentage of which are realistically potential iPhone 5 buyers). That’s not a huge number in global subscriber terms, but it does give Apple room to expand its smartphone dominance in the U.S., and could provide it a late-stage bump for the iPhone 5, which is going to face increasing pressure from new competing flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4.

T-Mobile has consistently been left out of launch day hype surrounding the release of Apple’s iPhone, with the carrier relegated to watching from the sidelines as AT&T, Sprint and Verizon locations saw customers queue for the iPhone 5 back in September, so it’s probably very happy to see lines form with this launch. Combined, the iPhone 5 and the carrier’s new model could lure away quite a few switchers, but we’ll have to wait and see if that impacts the overall distribution of U.S. wireless customers in any significant way.

PSA: Pick up your T-Mobile iPhone 5 today

It’s really happening. Starting today, you’ll be able to pick up an iPhone 5 with that Magenta hue. T-Mobile’s offering the device both in retail and online, starting at $100 plus 24 monthly installments of 20 bucks. You can pick from either of the two monochrome extremes and if you’re looking to spend a little less, you can also choose an iPhone 4S or 4 instead. Remember; you won’t get the same subsidized pricing from Apple directly, so scroll through the options at the Uncarrier source and ensure that you’re ready for that Coachella stream this weekend.

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Source: T-Mobile

Google and T-Mobile are streaming Coachella live on YouTube April 12th – 14th

DNP Coachella broadcasting live on YouTube April 12th  14th

Dig hazy music festivals, but tickets to Coachella are too expensive? Don’t fret, Google and T-Mobile may have the next best thing. For the third consecutive year the folks from Mountain View will air a free live stream of the show on YouTube. The remote festivities run from April 12th – 14th, giving you and your posse plenty of time to designate a device worthy of this broadcast. While some equipment may work better than others, you and your besties shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a YouTube-friendly doodad that’s up to the task.

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Source: Google (Google+)

Sprint LTE Coming To 21 New Markets On April 12

Sprint LTE Coming To 21 New Markets On April 12

Only yesterday AT&T announced that it was expanding its LTE network to six new markets. Verizon has its network out in most markets, nearly 500 to be precise. Sprint is the third largest carrier in U.S. and it too is slowly but surely expanding its LTE net. It is being reported that Sprint will be adding 21 new LTE markets on the 12th of April.

If you’re based in these markets and have a Sprint LTE compatible device, you’ll have access to download speeds of up to 6-8Mbps, peaking at 25Mbps, and download speeds of up to 2-3Mbps. The entire list of these new markets can be viewed in the image posted above. It is nice to see that all major carriers in the U.S. are seriously expanding their LTE networks. T-Mobile only recently got off the line, with it’s network being available in seven markets as of now. AT&T currently covers 182 markets, it is expected to add 77 more by the end of this summer. Right now, Verizon’s network is ahead of everyone else, with the carrier expected to be done with LTE deployment in a couple of months.

[Image via PhoneArena]

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T-Mobile improves its bid for MetroPCS, prompts MetroPCS to delay its vote

MetroPCS street ad

While executives at T-Mobile and MetroPCS may be ready to close their merger, some shareholders aren’t — major advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services has been recommending that MetroPCS investors vote against the deal unless T-Mobile can sweeten the pot. Consider it sweetened. T-Mobile’s parent Deutsche Telekom has made a “final offer” that would slash the debt owed by the post-merger company by $3.8 billion (to $11.2 billion), reduce the interest rate on that debt by half a point and prevent Deutsche Telekom from selling its shares in the merged firm for 18 months, rather than the original six. The reshuffled finances may not sound very exciting on the surface, but they’re enough to put MetroPCS in a tizzy: the carrier is delaying a shareholder vote on the deal from April 12th to the 24th to allow for some reevaluations. There’s no guarantees that the new offer is enough to please the naysayers. Still, we’d venture that T-Mobile will get a warmer reaction than the last time it tried a corporate alliance.

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Via: Bloomberg

Source: Deutsche Telekom IR (Twitter)

AT&T Rolls Out LTE To Six New Markets

AT&T Rolls Out LTE To Six New Markets

AT&T has announced today that it has added six additional markets to its LTE network. This latest addition brings the total number of markets, in which AT&T’s LTE service is available, up to 182. The carrier also added that it has plans to add another 77 markets by the end of summer 2013. Apart from that, seven existing markets that already have access to LTE now get expanded coverage. The new markets include Jackson, Tenn., Kalamazoo, Mo., Napa, Calif., Orangeburg, S.C., Rocky Mount-Wilson, N.C., and Santa Rosa-Petaluma, Calif.

Verizon Wireless is the clear leader in the LTE market, its network is available to almost 500 markets. AT&T is not even offering its service in even half of that number, so one can understand their frantic efforts to upgrade and expand. Verizon is expected to be done with LTE deployment in a couple of months. As far as speeds are concerned, AT&T is adamant that it offers the highest 4G LTE speeds in the country. Other carries such as T-Mobile and Sprint have been slow of the line. T-Mobile only recently announced its LTE network which is only available in seven markets as of now.

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T-Mobile iPhone 5 Arrives This Friday With $0 Down Trade-In Offer

T Mobile iPhone 5 Arrives This Friday With $0 Down Trade In OfferT-Mobile will finally make available the iPhone 5 to the masses, and right after their Uncarrier plans that intend to modify the landscape of wireless connectivity in the US, they will be offering the iPhone 5 which is set to be made available in a few days’ time, where there is an amazing upfront pricing to snag those who have been on the sidelines all this while, in addition to a special trade-in offer that would be difficult to turn down – not when there is a $0 tag attached to it.

Mike Sievert, chief marketing officer for T-Mobile, explains, “Our message to iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 customers is simple: bring in your device and trade up to iPhone 5 on T-Mobile. We’re making it incredibly attractive to buy an iPhone 5 by pairing an un-beatable upfront price and trade-in offer with Simple Choice, the most hassle-free and affordable rate plan in wireless.” This offer will last through Father’s Day on June 16, where well-qualified customers who want to ditch their iPhone 4S or iPhone 4 can pick up the iPhone 5 for $0, although monthly payments will be involved of course.

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T-Mobile trade-in offer drops iPhone 5 upfront price to $0 for 4, 4S owners

As T-Mobile prepares to officially offer the iPhone for the first time, it’s trying to pump up the lure with a trade-in offer for owners of the 4 and 4S models. Available through mid-June, the promotion lets iPhone 4 and 4S owners trade in their current device for an AWS HSPA+ friendly iPhone 5 for no money upfront (with monthly payments) under its new no-contract Simple Choice Plans. Additionally, depending on the condition of the hardware being traded in, customers can get a credit of up to $120 to be used against those payments (knocking it down to $15 from $20, for example) their usual bill or accessories. If last month’s colorful presentation wasn’t enough to pull you to T-Mobile from another carrier, does this new offer sweeten the deal enough? A full breakdown follows below in the press release, sales start Friday.

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Source: T-Mobile

T-Mobile Announces Nokia Lumia 521 Again

T Mobile Announces Nokia Lumia 521 Again

T-Mobile already made the announcement of Lumia 521 at the MWC back in February, today’s press release is the second official confirmation we’ve received about this exclusive device. T-Mobile is partnering with Nokia to bring the Lumia 521 exclusively to its customers. This Lumia smartphone runs on Windows Phone 8, like all other smartphones in Nokia’s signature range. T-Mobile says that the Nokia Lumia 521 is a perfect, everyday smartphone that embodies a range of high end features at a very affordable price. The smartphone will run on T-Mobile’s nationwide 4G network.

The Nokia Lumia 521 has a 4-inch super sensitive touch screen display with a resolution of 800 x 480. It has a 5 megapixel camera on the back capable of 720p video recording. There’s 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage with an option to increase externally via microSD card. Its just 9.9mm thick and is said to feel a bit cheaper than the high priced Lumia smartphones. Lumia 521 will be available in May from Walmart, T-Mobile Retail channels and Microsoft Retail Stores. T-Mobile says that exact pricing and availability details will be shared at a later date.

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Virgin Mobile offers $100 rebate to T-Mobile turncoats, now through May 31st

Virgin Mobile offers $100 rebate to TMobile turncoats, now through May 31st

In the wake of T-Mobile’s recently unveiled Simple Choice plans, Virgin Mobile is capitalizing on the shakeup by playing a value card of its own. Now through May 31st, the Sprint-owned MVNO is offering $100 credit to all T-Mobile subscribers willing to port their number to Virgin Mobile. Study the numbers for yourself and the deal seems a no-brainer, as Virgin matches T-Mobile’s unlimited scheme with a monthly bill of only $55, which rings in $5 less than the UnCarrier’s $60 (2.5GB) alternative. Naturally, that’s where Virgin Mobile hopes the conversation ends, but we don’t need to tell you that there’s quite a difference in speed between Virgin’s EV-DO / WiMAX service and the speedier HSPA+ / LTE alternative from T-Mobile. That said, if your inner cheapskate is tingling, you’ll now find an extra $100 incentive to make the switch.

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Via: Electronista

Source: Virgin Mobile