Apple Testing iPhone on T-Mobile USA (Photos)

Already available on AT&T and Verizon, it seems the Apple iPhone could soon be making its way to T-Mobile.

When the iPhone launched four years ago, in June of 2007, it was exclusive to AT&T. That exclusivity was supposed to last for five years, but it ended earlier this year when Verizon announced that the iPhone 4 was arriving on Big Red’s network. However, it seems Verizon’s run as ‘the other iPhone provider’ may be short-lived as pictures surfaced over the weekend to suggest the Apple smartphone could soon be headed to T-Mobile.

What you’re looking at here is a white iPhone on T-Mobile’s network. According to Boy Genius Report, this device carries an internal model number of N94, while the Verizon model is N92 and the standard GSM variant is N90. BGR says the phone is running the latest version of iOS but that its likely Apple is just using current iPhone 4 hardware to test the T-Mobile radio. If this turns out to be true, we won’t see an iPhone on T-Mobile until at least iPhone 5. And, if T-Mobile does get the iPhone, it will mean Sprint is the only major carrier without the device.

Furthermore, the testing on T-Mobile's networks could bode well for Canadians on the upstart carriers of Wind and Mobilicity, both of which run on AWS 1700.

Check out BGR for more pictures.

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house70 , April 26, 2011 6:56 AM

I wonder what the 3G bands of ATT will look like after they integrate T-mobile's network. That means either they'll keep all the 3g bands, pretty much adding the AWS 1700 to their line-up, or they will eliminate the AWS altogether and just expand the current 3G. Either way, the phones with AWS radios will be limited to current T-mob coverage, which does not make much sense... If you have a 3G phone with ATT they need to provide same 3G coverage regardless of the radio inside.
Wait and see, I guess..
2

memadmax , April 26, 2011 7:02 AM

Why the proto?
Change of SIM would work right?
They should know how to "jailbreak" their own phone right?
0

house70 , April 26, 2011 7:33 AM

memadmaxWhy the proto?Change of SIM would work right?They should know how to "jailbreak" their own phone right?

Is a proto, means not yet in production.
no jailbreak needed, the phone is factory-unlocked. and no need for third-party apps. They're just testing the radio.
1

sabrex , April 26, 2011 8:14 AM

house70Is a proto, means not yet in production. no jailbreak needed, the phone is factory-unlocked. and no need for third-party apps. They're just testing the radio.

A change of SIM does not work because T-Mobile runs on AWS1700, and AT&T doesn't. It's the same reason Canadian Wind and Mobilicity customers cannot currently use the iPhone on their respective networks whereas Rogers, Bell, and Telus customers can since they use the standard UMTS/HSPA network that most of the rest of the world, including AT&T, uses. I may be mistaken, but I believe that if Apple wanted to, they could use the current 1X/EVDO iPhone 4 used by Verizon for Sprint as well without modification.
0

saxplayingcompnerd , April 26, 2011 11:59 AM

toms, every article has spam for comments GET RID OF THE SPAMMERS BEFORE YOU LOSE YouR READERS

FYI everyone, the report spam comments box has no word limit.
0

TheKurrgan , April 26, 2011 12:35 PM

This is probably not really a good move on Apples part.. Seeing as how the smartest thing for AT&T to do when they acquire tmobile is to combine their coverage, and in essence buying the spectrum.. so a Quad band radio for 850/1700/1900/2100 HSPA in an iPhone 4 GSM would make since, as it would be a single production unit for ALL GSM carriers at that point.. but this would make too much sense
-1

nebun , April 26, 2011 2:45 PM

AT&T or T-Mobile is the same network...just wait untill AT&T take over T-Mobile, they will destroy that company and it's customers, lol.....Verizon all the way
0

house70 , April 26, 2011 5:50 PM

sabrexA change of SIM does not work because T-Mobile runs on AWS1700, and AT&T doesn't. It's the same reason Canadian Wind and Mobilicity customers cannot currently use the iPhone on their respective networks whereas Rogers, Bell, and Telus customers can since they use the standard UMTS/HSPA network that most of the rest of the world, including AT&T, uses. I may be mistaken, but I believe that if Apple wanted to, they could use the current 1X/EVDO iPhone 4 used by Verizon for Sprint as well without modification.

you quoted the wrong comment, dude... lol
0

feeddagoat , April 26, 2011 7:33 PM

Didn't at&t buyout t-mobile US?
0

toastninja17 , April 27, 2011 12:15 AM

Well I mean, Sprint sucks so..
0

11796pcs , April 27, 2011 7:10 AM

Took long enough for the phone to spread to other networks, 5 year exclusitivity offer... that's crazy in tech years.
0

jednx01 , April 27, 2011 10:06 PM

I really wish Tomhardware would put a filter on in order to stop these stupid spammers. I hate it when people use comment sections to post advertisements...

Apple Testing iPhone on T-Mobile USA (Photos)

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