T-Mobile USA Focused on 'Selling Against the iPhone' Starting September 21

TmoNews reports (via Engadget) that it has received a pair of photos from T-Mobile USA's internal news system announcing that the carrier will be rolling out new training programs focused on "selling against the iPhone". The new training modules are being deployed on September 21, the rumored launch day for the next-generation iPhone in the United States.

Perhaps it’s coincidental that the information for employees to utilize against the iPhone will drop on September 21st, a date being tossed around as a possible release date for the next-generation iPhone. Perhaps it’s just coincidence but we can’t envision a scenario in which T-Mobile would prepare their employees to sell against a product they are about to receive.

tmobile selling against iphone
T-Mobile is the only one of the four major U.S. carriers to not officially offer the iPhone, hampered by its use of 3G spectrum bands that are not supported by iPhone models released to date. That has not stopped customers from bringing their GSM iPhones to the carrier for use on its 2G network, and T-Mobile has been working to increase support for the over one million iPhones in use on its network even as it seeks to downplay the impact of its official absence to potential customers.

Following its failed merger with AT&T, T-Mobile USA announced earlier this year that its work on refarming spectrum would make the carrier's 4G HSPA+ network compatible with a broader range of devices, including the iPhone, by the end of 2012. Today's report from TmoNews reveals that T-Mobile is also rolling out new Monthly4G SIM kits that are compatible with the iPhone 4S and 4 later this month, perhaps signaling an increased effort to attract iPhone customers as its iPhone-compatible HSPA+ network reaches critical mass.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 2 Redux

Top 5 Apple Products to Look Forward to in 2025

Friday December 20, 2024 2:22 pm PST by
It's looking like 2025 is going to be an important year for Apple, with the company planning to revamp the iPhone, push further into smart home products, and improve Apple Intelligence. There are tons of new products rumored for 2025, including new iPhones, M4 Macs, a smart home command center, and much more. We've highlighted the top five Apple products that will have the biggest impact in...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...

Top Rated Comments

iSamurai Avatar
161 months ago
...the most innovative phone on the market.
oh wow! a stretched iphone with an extra row of icons! so innovative! :D
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Blackberryroid Avatar
161 months ago
T-Mobile is making a horrible choice. Going against the most innovative phone on the market.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FSMBP Avatar
161 months ago
So they're just following what AT&T and Verizon does? :p
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MyMacintosh Avatar
161 months ago
There goes my hope for iPhone coming to T-Mobile
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdlink Avatar
161 months ago
Is this story on here meant to indicate that T-Mobile isn't getting the iPhone or validation of the release date? Or that somehow - they are "evil" for training their sales staff for how to remain competitive against the iPhone?

Not much news here.

Why are you trying to imply editorial commentary where there isn't any currently? This was a reporting of pertinent Apple related news as it relates to a major US telephone carrier. The implications of this information are that TMO doesn't look to be getting the iPhone anytime soon, and they potentially have inside information as to the launch date, since their purported push on selling against the iPhone corresponds with the rumored date of release of the new model. The story in no way implies that TMO is evil for doing this.

And as someone who waited for years to get an iPhone on TMO before throwing in the towel and moving to VZ, I find this one of the more interesting rumor stories published on this site in days, if not weeks.

I also find it kind of sad. TMO continues to stand on the outside, looking in...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samcraig Avatar
161 months ago
Who says Apple isn't unwilling to let them have the iPhone? But if it a TMO decision then they're missing out.

Depends. Look at the hole Sprint got themselves into for making their deal with Apple...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)