iPhone 5 Release Date: iPhone Will 'Eventually' Come to T-Mobile, Experts Say
Industry experts suggest that consumers should expect a T-Mobile powered iPhone, "eventually."
Dusan Belic, contributor for tech website, Intomobile proposes that T-Mobile is showing signs that it may be preparing to carry the iPhone.
According to Belic, T-Mobile has recently begun supporting Apple's microSIM card that powers the iPhone without contract. The network is known for powering unlocked, no contract iPhones.
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T-Mobile's chief marketing officer Cole Brodman also noted the fact, having previously stated that the network powers over 1 million iPhones despite not being an official vendor or carrier for the devices.
Belic also suggests that consumer demand may push T-Mobile to vie for the iPhone.
"iPhone fans want an Apple-made device and no Android alternative can work for them as the 'real deal' can," Belic said.
The Sprint network acquired the iPhone 4S in time for its Oct. 14 release, as well as the iPhone 4.
Prior to the iPhone 4S release, Sprint's chief executive, Dan Hesse, stated at an industry conference that the network not powering the iPhone was "the No. 1 reason customers leave or switch."
Since then, the iPhone has been notably popular on the network, having aided Sprint in breaking its first day sales record on Oct. 14.
“Our early results selling the iPhone and iPhone 4 confirm the iPhone’s ability to attract new customers,” Hesse said at Sprint's third-quarter conference call on Oct. 26.
In the meanwhile, T-Mobile has expressed interest in carrying the iPhone.
"We'd love to have the iPhone whenever Apple makes that available," Brodman said at the GigaOM Mobilize conference in September.
"The ball is in Apple's court."
Belic suggests that T-Mobile may be waiting until its impending merger with AT&T is complete; the association should allow the network to carry the iPhone without a separate deal with Apple.
