wireless carriers

T-Mobile fans rejoice. New evidence points to Apple actively testing a variant of the iPhone 4 on the carrier's network. This story seems to contradict previous reports that the iPhone would not come to T-Mobile anytime soon, despite a merger deal with AT&T. Should the next iPhone be launched in September, the device very well could make its way to T-Mobile customers. The photo below from BGR shows a test unit in white with the carrier name listed as T-Mobile.

ChangeWave Research contacted 4,068 iPhone 4 users to get a detailed comparison of Verizon Wireless vs. AT&T Mobility services. According to the survey results, AT&T customers experienced dropped calls almost three times as often in the past 90 days as those with a Verizon iPhone 4. Whereas Verizon subscribers reported a dropped call rate of 1.8 percent, AT&T clocked in at 4.8 percent for the same question.

You might think these numbers would pose a problem for the AT&T customer service department. Actually, when looking at overall customer satisfaction with their iPhone 4, both companies came out even. Very satisfied and somewhat satisfied customers together made up 98 percent of respondents from both AT&T and Verizon.

Rumors of an iPhone on T-Mobile are nothing new. The recent agreement between AT&T and parent company Deutsche Telekom may have excited some T-Mobile customers looking to score an iPhone 4. After all, the $39 billion acquisition would form the largest wireless carrier in the US.

Not so fast. Assuming the deal is approved by regulators, the merger would take 12 months. Until the merger is complete T-Mobile will operate as an independent company and has expressly stated it has no plans to offer the iPhone. So what will happen after the merger is complete?

Verizon Wireless leans heavily on its reputation as the most dependable network in the US. The company is betting this reputation that it will flawlessly launch millions of iPhones onto its airwaves without any of the snafus that faced AT&T. Some are starting to wonder if Verizon is really as bulletproof as it seems.

Various reports from around the country have cited network problems of various stripes affecting Verizon for hours, even days in the case of some BlackBerry owners. The company is aware of the problems and is working on correcting them, but the news comes at an awkward time for America's largest cellular carrier.

After years of speculation, rumors and false alarms, it looks like Verizon Wireless fans are finally about to get their own iPhone. Invitations went out today for a special news event in New York City hosted by the president and COO of Verizon himself, Lowell McAdam.

Although the invitation itself is vague, reports about the content of Verizon's presentation have gone wild on the Internet. This message comes on the heels of an iPhone-less CES just days ago, when the company disappointed Verizon-watchers with little news. Notably, CNET blogger Rick Broida reported on a tip he received two days ago stating that 1/1/11 would indeed bring a Verizon iPhone announcement.