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T-Mobile Netherlands puts reception issues on Apple

In a corporate blog posting, T-Mobile has told iPhone 3G users in the Netherlands that a hardware or software issue is to blame for the reception problems they have experienced.

Tom Krazit Former Staff writer, CNET News
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
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Tom Krazit
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T-Mobile Netherlands is telling customers that the iPhone 3G's reception problems are Apple's fault. CNET

T-Mobile's Netherlands division is blaming the iPhone 3G's reception issues on Apple.

In a company blog posting Tuesday morning spotted by a forum contributor at MacRumors, T-Mobile Netherlands threw the iPhone 3G under the bus, blaming Apple for the problems its customers have been experiencing connecting to 3G networks in that country. Complaints have been cropping up in the U.S. as well about the iPhone 3G's performance on AT&T's network.

"The 3G coverage of T-Mobile is as good as the competition, there can therefore not lie. We suspect that it is a hardware / software specific issue of the iPhone itself," T-Mobile Netherlands said, according to a Google Translation of the post. A former colleague fluent in Dutch translated the second part of the first sentence as saying "so that should not be the issue."

The Google translation of another part of the blog is hilarious, and I'll just post it for amusement: "We therefore recommend to the software updates from Apple in the eye. This you get through iTunes." As you might have guessed, Apple is not delivering software updates through the eyes of iPhone 3G users: my former colleague translated that first sentence as "We advise customers to keep an eye on Apple's software updates."

This is obviously a bit self-serving of an argument for T-Mobile, and they don't exactly back it up. But their willingness to acknowledge the issues in a public forum--as well as blame Apple for the problems--sets them apart from the rest of the wireless industry currently offering the iPhone 3G. Again, it's unclear just how widespread the iPhone 3G reception problems are, but they are being reported all over the globe, and I've never received as much e-mail from Apple customers about a single product issue (even before asking for submissions) as I have over this one.

An Apple representative did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment, but I'll update if I hear from the company.