T-Mobile USA announced on Monday that its third-generation wireless network was now live in New York City, though few phones can use it.
Other major cities will get the so-called 3G coverage later this year, the company said, confirming previously announced plans.
T-Mobile USA, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, has lagged behind its larger rivals, like AT&T, in introducing 3G wireless broadband because it has until recently had access to less of the radio spectrum. Instead, it has emphasized phones that complement slower cellular data services with Wi-Fi.
Web browsing and downloading content like ring tones will be twice as fast with 3G on four phone models that T-Mobile USA started selling last year: Nokia’s 3555 and 6263 and Samsung’s t819 and t639.
Later this year, T-Mobile will offer phones that take full advantage of the 3G network, with data speeds that are four times that of current non-3G models.
While BlackBerry smart phones are an important part of T-Mobile’s lineup, models capable of the higher speeds probably will not be available until next year, said Neville R. Ray, senior vice president for engineering and operations at T-Mobile USA.
T-Mobile USA has 28.7 million subscribers.
