TmoNews is reporting that T-Mobile will enable LTE support, along with a handful of other features previously not available, on unlocked iPhone 5 handsets through a software update on April 5th. The source, who appears to have gotten its hands on an internal document, notes that T-Mobile will also enable Visual Voicemail, MMS Settings and Network/Device optimisations for iPhone users with the iOS update.
“The T-Mobile Carrier Update is a minor iOS software update that enables official iPhone support by T-Mobile. When installed, the software update enables a handful of capabilities like Visual Voicemail, MMS Settings and Network/Device optimizations that customers do not have access to today. On April 5, the software update will begin being pushed via OTA to all iPhone devices on the T-Mobile network with iOS 6.1.x or higher.”
The news is of most interest to current T-Mobile customers who want to take advantage of the carrier’s LTE network without updating to Apple’s new T-Mobile/AT&T iPhone 5 variant set to launch on April 12th. And if OTA updates can bring support for AWS LTE, then newer carriers can easily push out updates for LTE support on unlocked iPhones as well.
With WIND Mobile already confirming iPhone 5 compatibility, the future sure looks bright for unlocked iPhone 5 users, doesn’t it? The only requirement now is an AWS LTE network, which isn’t currently available. What this means for unlocked iPhone 5 users in Canada is should our wireless entrants build an AWS LTE network, all it would take is a carrier update to possibly enable LTE.
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So does that mean that if I have an iPhone 5 locked to fido.. And I unlock it and download this carrier update, that it will work on wind ?
Theoretically if WIND had an AWS LTE network, and you jumped onto them with your unlocked iPhone 5, then yes, a carrier update should enable LTE. The issue now is there is no AWS LTE available, only 3G.
If I didn’t care about having LTE would the 3G still work theoretically with this update?
Technically, yes. So WIND could announce they are now supporting the iPhone 5 via a carrier update and users could enjoy 3G speeds. Now that would be very interesting.
If that were to happen I would drop rogers in a heartbeat.
This would finally give us the power to tell Rogers and the other two fuckers bell and telus to go fuck themselves. I can’t wait .
Amen!!!
I didn’t think it was possible Gary. Isn’t this just for certain features, rather than overall network compatibility?
Does this mean Roam Mobility will support LTE on the iPhone 5 as well?
I will find out. Theoretically it should.
Perfect, time for me to drop out from the big three…AWE LTE would be nice but unlimited data would be even better!!
okay, I have an unlocked iphone 5 and have a tmobile account for when im in the states, does this mean that this will give my phone the same capabilities as the upcoming tweaked model?
I can’t wait for this either Cyrus! Wonder if I can relay my message directly to top management by speaking with someone in detentions It would go something like this.
‘Hi I’d like to cancel my account with Bell. I’ve been through 15 years of poor service, hidden fees, surprise items in my monthly statement that were clearly put on there because your company has a policy in place that gauges your loyal customers for as much of their hard earned money as possible. On top of that I’ve been through times where you offered poor customer service where I had to spend countless hours on the phone with you to negotiate the unfair over the top fees that you insist on charging me. I’ve had poor service in multiple areas with dropped calls, missed calls, I had to wait while other countries implemented new technologies and you sat back and did not innovate All because you stifled the competition by either aggressive lobbying or just plain buying out the competition. You prayed on teens and pre-teens and locked them in to three year contracts with unfair cancellation fees. These are people who shouldn’t be signing contracts by the way. They don’t know any better, they don’t have a lawyer on their side while you used the highest paid attorneys to craft your contracts to take as much as possible from the public who had no other choice but deal with you and your ridiculous fees. In conclusion I’d like to tell you to go fuck yourselves’ I then say this is directed to you too retention officer or whatever the hell you’re called. You’re complicit in this as much as top management is.
In retentions
What happend in retentions Sorin?