T-Mobile to Get the iPhone Next, Not Verizon?

T-Mobile may be the next US carrier to get the iPhone rather than Verizon, according to Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu.

Fortune Relays His Reasons:
● Like AT&T, T-Mobile runs a GSM network, although on different frequencies. T-Mobile's 3G network runs on 1700 MHz and 2100 MHz while AT&T supports 850 MHz and 1900 MHz. "Interestingly," Wu writes, "both the new iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS support 3G at the 2100 MHz frequency." Verizon and Sprint (S) run CDMA networks, which would require Apple building a special iPhone.
● Apple needs another carrier to compete with Google. Google's (GOOG) Android is still a niche product, with a 9% U.S. market share, but according to Wu it is growing strongest where the iPhone is not available.
● Verizon isn't the only show in town. Although it is the largest U.S. carrier, with 93 million subscribers, AT&T comes in second at 87 million, Sprint at 47 million, and T-Mobile at 34 million. Says Wu: "It is notable that signing up both T-Mobile and Sprint would almost be the equivalent of signing VZ."


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