iPhone 5 Release Date: T-Mobile iPhone is Inevitable, Experts Say
Industry experts project there will "eventually" be an iPhone powered by T-Mobile.
Dusan Belic, a contributor for Intomobile, suggested that T-Mobile seems to be preparing to carry the iPhone.
According to Belic, T-Mobile now supports Apple's microSIM card that powers the iPhone without contract.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The network is known for powering unlocked iPhones with no contract.
T-Mobile's Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman has previously said the network powers over 1 million iPhones despite not being an official vendor or carrier for the devices.
Belic also suggested that consumer demand might push T-Mobile to vie for the iPhone.
"IPhone fans want an Apple-made device and no Android alternative can work for them as the 'real deal' can," said Belic.
The Sprint network acquired the iPhone 4S in time for its Oct. 14 release, as well as the iPhone 4.
Before the iPhone 4S release, Sprint's Chief Executive Dan Hesse said at an industry conference that the network’s failure to power the iPhone was "the No. 1 reason customers leave or switch."
Since then, the iPhone has been notably popular on the network, having aided Sprint in breaking its first day sales record on Oct. 14.
“Our early results selling the iPhone and iPhone 4 confirm the iPhone’s ability to attract new customers,” Hesse said at Sprint's third-quarter conference call on Oct. 26.
In the meantime, T-Mobile has expressed interest in carrying the iPhone.
"We'd love to have the iPhone whenever Apple makes that available," said Brodman at the GigaOM Mobilize conference in September.
"The ball is in Apple's court,” Brodman added.
Belic suggested that T-Mobile might be waiting until its impending merger with AT&T is complete. The association should allow the network to carry the iPhone without a separate deal with Apple.
