Although it still hasn’t been officially announced, U.S. mobile operator T-Mobile is widely expected to introduce the first mobile phone build on Google’s Android platform next month, in the form of the HTC Dream. The potential problem with this scenario is that, while the Dream supports 3G data connectivity, T-Mobile is the number four mobile operator and only has 3G service up in a handful of markets. T-Mobile introduced 3G service in New York City in May and has since extended service to a handful of other markets, including Miami, Houston, Boston, San Diego, and Las Vegas.
Now, reports have T-Mobile extending 3G services to a total of 27 markets by the end of 2008, with major cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle set to come online by the end of October. Additional rollout are expected for Denver, Detroit, Tampa, Kansas City, and other markets by the end of the year. If the rollouts go as expected, T-Mobile will be able to offer 3G service to about two-thirds of its customer base by the end of the year.
Expanded 3G coverage may help T-Mobile persuade some customers to try out the HTC Dream—or other smartphone offerings—on their network, but even AT&T has been the target of criticism for availability of 3G service for use with the popular iPhone 3G…and it already has a 3G footprint significantly larger than what T-Mobile seemingly plans to offer by the end of the year.
