T-Mobile USA expands HSPA+ to nearly 50 major markets

Just a day after Harbinger Capital Partners announced plans to spend $7 billion building out a nationwide LTE network, the industry’s current No. 4 operator T-Mobile USA Inc. said its HSPA+ network – “the most pervasive network to offer 4G speeds in the country – was now available in nearly 50 major metro areas and on track to cover 100 markets and 185 million people by the end of the year.
The newest markets added to its HSPA+ stable include Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Waco, Texas; Baltimore; Baton Rouge and Lafayette, La.; Birmingham, Ala.; Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton, Ohio; Ft. Lauderdale and Jacksonville, Fla.; Greenville, S.C.; Honolulu; Indianapolis; Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo.; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; Portland, Ore.; and Wichita, Kan.
T-Mobile USA noted that 16 of its current HSPA-enabled mobile devices can “benefit” from operating on the HSPA+ network and that it plans to launch its first HSPA+ smartphone in the coming weeks. Customers can also access full HSPA+ speeds using the carrier’s Webconnect Rocket USB Laptop Stick, or its new 2.0 version that includes an updated form factor.
T-Mobile USA, which currently does not have the spectrum needed to launch a LTE network, has been linked in the past to a possible deal with Harbinger that would allow the carrier to offer LTE services to its customers. The carrier has also reportedly been in talks with Clearwire Corp. for a similar venture, a move that has been bolstered by talks that Clearwire was looking at adding LTE technology to its current WiMAX offering. Both Harbinger and Clearwire are looking to wholesale services to other carriers on their networks.
Clearwire, along with partner Sprint Nextel Corp., have said they plan to cover 120 million potential customers with WiMAX services by the end of this year. Verizon Wireless is also currently building out a LTE network and said it plans to have 100 million pops covered by the end of 2010.