Introduction to T-Mobile
T-Mobile advertises mobile broadband speeds of up to 4.5Mbps in
3G areas. Starting at £10 a month customers can get up to 3GB of
usage, which should be adequate for most users.
Let us do the math: 3GB is enough to send 2,000 e-mails, upload
300 photos, download 100 music tracks and browse the web for four
hours a day.
What makes T-Mobile unique is its fair use policy. It's the only
mobile broadband supplier that does not charge customers for
exceeding the monthly download limit. However, if you do so
repeatedly, T-Mobile will slow down your connection instead.
T-Mobile history
If you've travelled abroad recently, you may have seen the
T-Mobile logo prominently displayed on billboards in other
countries. With over 100m subscribers, T-Mobile is the world's
sixth largest mobile phone provider. It currently operates in 12
countries including Austria, Germany, Poland and the United
States.
T-Mobile UK was launched in 1993 as One 2 One. In 1999, it was
acquired by Deutsche Telekom, the largest telecommunications
company in Europe. Three years later, One 2 One was no more. It had
been rebranded as T-Mobile.
In August of 2002, T-Mobile struck a deal with Starbucks to
provide Wi-Fi HotSpots in its coffee shops. Customers could now
surf the web while enjoying a cup of coffee. Six years later, there
are over 20,000 T-Mobile HotSpots worldwide, including 1,200 in the
UK. You can find them in airports, cafes and in many other
locations.
In 2004, T-Mobile went 3G, paving the way for video calling and
fast mobile broadband access. In 2007, it merged its 3G network
with Three (3), which greatly improved its 3G coverage through the
UK.
What makes T-Mobile's mobile broadband service unique is that
the price includes access to HotSpots. If you're near a HotSpot,
you can use it free of charge.
HotSpots enable users to connect at a faster speed than with
mobile broadband. When you're not near a HotSpot, you can still go
online using mobile broadband.
Everything Everywhere
At the moment, T-Mobile has teamed up with Orange to form
Everything Everywhere, which means that T-Mobile customers can use
Orange's network where the former doesn't reach and vice versa. The
giants are planning a full merger soon but have not confirmed
whether or not they will stick with Everything Everywhere or decide
to completely rename their brand.