Phone fans and mobile data mavens are wondering: Will Apple's soon-to-be-announced second-generation iPhone work with T-Mobile's yet-to-be-deployed 3-G network?
After years of delays, T-Mobile finally seems poised to launch its new 3-G network this week, albeit without data service.
And the new iPhone, widely expected to be announced in June, will almost certainly have 3-G data capabilities.
The two events suggest an interesting question: If AT&T were to offer an unlocked 3-G iPhone -- as some have speculated -- or if people figure how to unlock the new device illicitly, would such a phone also be able to tap into T-Mobile's new 3-G data services... once they become available?
There are a few problems with the theory, apart from the nonexistence of both products.
Currently, AT&T uses the 850 and 1900 MHz bands for its 3-G services.
In contrast, a T-Mobile spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday that the carrier will utilize the 1700 and 2100 MHz bands for its UMTS (3-G) network.
The key factor will therefore be how many (and which) bands the new 3-G iPhone ends up supporting, says Chris Hazelton, IDC's senior analyst for mobile devices.
"We'll most likely see a [dual-band] 3-G iPhone that supports 850 and 1900 MHz," he says, since those are the bands that AT&T already supports. But it's also possible Apple will release a tri-band 3-G phone, meaning it would also likely support the 2100 MHz band as well.
"That one common band would, in theory, mean an unlocked 3-G iPhone would work with T-Mobile's 3-G services if you had a T-Mobile SIM," says Hazelton.
As always, there's a catch. Part of the reason AT&T uses the 850 band is because of its good propagation traits. While the 1900 MHz band is used in cities and other urban areas, 850 is particularly good for 3-G service in more rural areas.
That means while you may be able to use T-Mobile 3-G services with the new unlocked iPhone in urban settings, getting access to them elsewhere will be mighty difficult.
Still, potential compatibility with T-Mobile's network could put AT&T in a difficult spot. As Yankee Group's Carl Howe points out, with its second version of the iPhone, Apple is definitely thinking on a more global scale, because the 2100MHz band is a primary band in Europe, Africa and Asia.
"Different frequencies mean different businesses," he says, "and this time around, [Apple] is definitely thinking globally."
To appease AT&T and protect its phones from unlockers, Apple could proceed as it has been with the first-generation iPhone: Issue periodic firmware updates that are incompatible with unlocking.
Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen. In the end, the best security measure Apple may have at its disposal is simply to release the 3-G iPhones in as many new countries as possible. Most unlocked iPhones aren't being used in the U.S. anyway. They're going to countries where the iPhone isn't officially available yet, like China.
