T-Mobile, the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S., made several announcements Monday at CTIA 2012 regarding the expansion of its 4G network efforts. First up, the company stated that it struck network hardware supply contracts with both Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks to shore up its impending $4 billion 4G LTE rollout. T-Mobile also added that its deployment of LTE would be conducted in the year 2013.
That's not to say, however, that the carrier doesn't have other developments to publicize right now. While its 4G LTE rollout will be fully underway next year, T-Mobile announced that its current nationwide HSPA+ network has grown to include new markets, with HSPA+ 42 now available to customers in Little Rock, Ark.; Springfield Mo.; Hattiesburg, Miss. and Madison, Wis. Also worth noting is the fact that T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ service in the 1900 MHz band--slated to launch by the end of the year--will introduce faster data speeds, improved in-building coverage and the ability to use the iPhone on the network, even if the carrier doesn't include the phone itself as part of its handset offerings.
Finally, the carrier's last piece of news concerns its old Bobsled solution, which, in case you've forgotten, lets users VoIP call their Facebook friends for free. Apparently the service is now utilized by more than one million users since its launch in April 2011, with more than 10 million calls made within the app.
