T-Mobile may team with Clearwire for spectrum boost

T-Mobile USA may consider a joint venture with Clearwire or cable companies to increase its spectrum capacity, according to remarks from CEO Robert Dotson.

“We continue to look at JV [joint venture] opportunities for additional spectrum … there are a number of different options we look at, (we) have been talking with cable companies, with Clearwire,” Dotson told analysts, according to Reuters.

T-Mobile was late to the game with 3G primarily because it didn’t the spectrum for an effective nationwide deployment. The fourth-largest U.S. carrier spent more than $4 billion acquiring spectrum in an FCC auction and it has been hard at work boosting its mobile data network. Despite having virtually zero 3G coverage a few years ago, T-Mobile now blankets nearly 200 million people in its 3G goodness. It’s not much of a surprise that it is looking for more spectrum, because data services have been bright spots for the Magenta carrier the last few quarters.

Despite the numerous rumors over the years, Dotson said we shouldn’t expect a direct team-up with Sprint because both companies are already facing individual challenges. A Clearwire deal would tie Sprint and T-Mobile together because Sprint is the majority owner of the WiMax provider.

[Via Phonescoop, Reuters, photo via Flickr]