Several online sources are reporting that T-Mobile may be ready to ready to finally flip the switch on its 3G (3rd Generation) HSDPA/UMTS data service in 27 major market cities in the U.S. on October 1, 2008. T-Mobile is the last of the big 4 nationwide U.S. wireless companies to join the 3G data service party as Verizon, Sprint, and to a lesser extent AT&T already offer nationwide broadband like data download services for mobile handsets and laptop computers. Verizon has the largest and most widespread network (and launched first) with EVDO, another form of 3G broadband wireless that provides wireless users with internet download speeds that rival those of a low end home Digital Subscriber Line (DSL). Average speeds for 3G wireless are about 450-700Kbps with peaks reaching up to 1.5Mbps if conditions are ideal. T-Mobile currently relies on its EDGE data service, a much slower data download service that can be compared to a fast dial-up or ISDN, averaging about 150Kbps, much slower than the faster 3G services. T-Mobile 3G had already launched in New York City earlier this year and is rumored to be launching in another test market (Chicago) this month. One of the major upgrades being added to the next generation Apple iPhone is a 3G radio which will allow iPhone users to access the web and email at 3-7 times faster than its current EDGE version. T-Mobile is the fourth largest wireless carrier in the U.S., but has one of the highest user satisfaction ratings of all the nationwide carriers with the one of lowest churn rates in the industry.
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