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Apple, T-Mobile agree to bring products out in 2013

T-Mobile may finally get the iPhone after Deutsche Telekom let the news slip in an investor update.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
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Roger Cheng
2 min read
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T-Mobile USA and Apple have agreed to sell products together next year.

That's according to T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom, which disclosed the agreement in an investor update sent via press release.

"In addition, T-Mobile USA has entered into an agreement with Apple to bring products to market together in 2013," the statement said.

It remains unclear whether the agreement actually means the iPhone -- which isn't mentioned in the release. The deal could be limited to selling the iPad or iPad Mini.

But a deal for Apple to sell the iPhone through T-Mobile would make sense as Apple looks to expand its base of potential customers as widely as possible. The company already sells the iPhone at the other three national carriers, as well as several regional and prepaid carriers, so it makes sense to tap into T-Mobile's customer base as well.

T-Mobile has long been the odd-man out among the major carriers, all of which sell the iPhone. A deal had previously been complicated by incompatible spectrum that would have forced Apple to build a specific version of the smartphone for the carrier, but that has changed with T-Mobile moving its higher-speed network onto compatible spectrum.

T-Mobile clearly wants to sell the iPhone, even if it doesn't want the costs associated with it. The carrier has enticed consumers to bring their own unlocked iPhones and offers plans with nano-SIMs to enable an easy switch. Only AT&T iPhones can work on T-Mobile's network, and for many markets, customers only have access to the slower network. That is expected to change as T-Mobile continues to upgrade its network around the country.