T-Mobile is growing its HSPA+ with “4G-like speeds” shortly after announcing its Northeastern U.S. growth last month. The carrier is announcing that its super fast 3G data network will cover 25 major metropolitan areas and 75 million Americans by the end of this month. Since T-Mobile hasn’t jumped on the official 4G bandwagon (if you can really call the current technologies out there 4G) yet with either WiMax or LTE, it makes sense that HSPA+ growth would take place rapidly since the carrier doesn’t have anything to compete with others. Sprint is already live with WiMax in certain cities, Verizon is moving forward with LTE and has even completed some testing with good results, and AT&T will continue to build out its HSPA network while it preps for its own LTE movement.
All we’re waiting for are handsets that support those theoretical top speeds of 21Mbps so we can have something to be really excited about. Right now, if you want any of that HSPA+ goodness, you’ll have to settle for a T-Mobile webConnect Rocket data stick for your laptop, which isn’t so bad if you’re doing a lot of work on the go. If your wondering whether your city is covered, or if it will be by the end of June, check out the press release below.
T-Mobile Expands Super-Fast Network and Availability of T-Mobile® webConnect Rocket™ USB Laptop Stick to Cover 25 Major Metropolitan Areas
BELLEVUE, Wash. — June 16, 2010 — Today, T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced the expansion of its super-fast mobile broadband network, now offering 4G speeds1 to more than 25 major metropolitan areas across the U.S., and expects to cover more than 75 million Americans with HSPA+ by the end of June. Complementing the network expansion is the availability of the T-Mobile® webConnect Rocket™ USB Laptop Stick, the first HSPA+ capable device from a national U.S. wireless carrier, in T-Mobile retail stores in these new areas.
Now HSPA+ and the T-Mobile® webConnect Rocket™ USB Laptop Stick are available in major metropolitan areas across the country including Los Angeles; Dallas; Atlanta; Houston; Seattle; Tampa and Orlando, Fla.; Pittsburgh; Charlotte, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem, N.C.; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.; New Orleans; and Charleston, S.C. In addition, HSPA+ has been expanded to Bentonville, Ark.; Anderson, S.C.; and Fayetteville, N.C. T-Mobile’s HSPA+ mobile broadband service is already live in New York; Philadelphia; Las Vegas; Memphis; Upstate New York; Connecticut; Providence, R.I.; and the Washington, D.C., suburbs.
“T-Mobile has rolled out HSPA+ service to more than 25 major metropolitan areas in four month’s time, as we drive towards having the most pervasive mobile broadband network delivering 4G speeds in the country,” said Neville Ray, senior vice president of Engineering and Operations for T-Mobile USA.
“T-Mobile is delivering unprecedented value to our customers with the availability of a super-fast mobile broadband experience combined with compelling and affordable devices and data plans.”
T-Mobile’s rapidly expanding HSPA+ mobile broadband footprint makes it easy for customers to enjoy 4G speeds on the HSPA+-enabled T-Mobile® webConnect Rocket™ USB Laptop Stick. In addition, T-Mobile currently has 15 3G devices that can benefit from enhanced speeds when they’re on the HSPA+ network, including the newest smartphone available from T-Mobile today — the Nokia E73 Mode.
T-Mobile has made considerable progress in the number of areas with faster mobile broadband — and expects to continue this aggressive pace to deliver HSPA+ speeds in 100 major metropolitan areas with backhaul in place, covering 185 million people in the U.S. by the end of this year.
“With the rapid expansion of its HSPA+ network this year, T-Mobile is in a great position of being able to deliver high-speed data service to a broader number of customers today,” said Peter Jarich, principal analyst, Wireless Infrastructure, Current Analysis.
“Ultimately, consumers don’t care what technology powers the network they’re using — they care about the quality and experience of their mobile data service, the cost of those services, and the devices available to access them. HSPA+ has the potential to deliver higher data rates across a broader lineup of devices in the next one to two years than competing technologies.”