iPhone 5 also headed to T-Mobile USA this fall?

TiPb's hearing that T-Mobile is well on their way to prepping their iPhone 5 roll out, likely for this October (which just so happens to coincide with the timeline we previously heard Apple was considering for launch). If Sprint iPhone 5 rumors are to be believed, along with previous rumors of iPhone test units running on T-Mobile, we could finally see Apple's devices on all four major US carriers this year.

While also a GSM/HSPA/HSPA+ network, T-Mobile iPhone 5 would have to work on AWS (Advanced Wireless Services, which operate in the 1700 and 2100 bands), a very different set of 3G frequencies than AT&T. Whether or not Apple could combine all those frequencies into one GSM iPhone 5 antenna array, never mind a single CDMA/GSM "world phone" that could work on Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile, is the question.

AT&T is also into the process of trying to acquire T-Mobile US, in part to use their AWS spectrum to boost AT&T's own LTE 4G rollout. How, if at all, that would affect an AWS iPhone 4 is unknown. However, Canadian carriers Moblicity, Wind, and Videotron use the same 3G bands as T-Mobile US, so an AWS-compatible iPhone 5 would still have some limited international appeal.

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.