X

MetroPCS to focus on Android, LTE

AT&T and T-Mobile's merger would put the nation's fifth largest carrier in the No. 4 position. We asked MetroPCS what that meant for it, and what its plans are going forward.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
See full bio
Jessica Dolcourt
2 min read
MetroPCS

If the AT&T-T-Mobile merger gains approval, that de facto bumps MetroPCS, the nation's fifth largest carrier (8 million subscribers), into the No. 4 slot that T-Mobile currently holds (33 million subscribers).

I sat down at CTIA 2011 with Tony Lau, director of handset product management for MetroPCS to chat about the carrier's plans going forward.

LTE Android phones are top of mind for the carrier of prepaid, no-contract phones, which hopes to follow up the release of its first Android smartphone with more LTE handsets, up to 5 by the end of 2011. For the time being, Windows Phone 7 isn't part of MetroPCS' strategy; it's Android that customers ask for in stores, said Lau.

Although MetroPCS was the first U.S. carrier to launch its LTE network, speeds are definitely slower on it and on the Indulge than, say, on Verizon's new HTC Thunderbolt. While MetroPCS does intend to invest in its LTE infrastructure, competing with Verizon isn't the carrier's main goal. Rather, said Lau, it's to offer current customers speeds faster than its mostly 2G network. For those users, MetroPCS' LTE technology is a noticeable improvement. The company is skipping 3G altogether.

Although market domination doesn't factor into the carrier's plans by a long shot (MetroPCS has no intention of entering the post-paid market currently led by Verizon), Lau did share his thought on the proposed AT&T and T-Mobile merger. "The merger puts us at No. 4, so fewer competitors for us isn't necessarily a bad thing," Lau told CNET. "It makes things interesting."

Mobile Guides

Phones
Foldable Phones
Headphones
Mobile Accessories
Smartwatches
Wireless Plans
Mobile coupons