T-Mobile is known for great prices, solid customer service and a good dollop of innovation. As AT&T consumes T-Mobile, I'm holding out hope that the bigger carrier won't throw away all of T-Mobile's technologies, attitudes, and service plans.
My hope is pretty weak; AT&T has strong opinions about some of these technologies, and its opinions differ from T-Mobile's. But if the government actually does approve the AT&T/T-Mobile merger, here are five T-Mobile innovations—beyond just having lower prices—that AT&T should keep.
1. Stock Android. AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega has expressed great suspicion about Android, and AT&T's Android phones are the most locked-down in the industry. You can't even install third-party apps from outside the Android Market. T-Mobile, on the other hand, has been open to selling phones with the pure Google vision such as the T-Mobile G1, Google Nexus S and T-Mobile G2. That's made T-Mobile a happy home for many power users and Android developers.
2. Wi-Fi Calling. AT&T and Verizon say their networks are so good that you should never need a backup. T-Mobile is humble enough to admit that, yeah, sometimes a Wi-Fi signal is better than a cellphone signal. T-Mobile's Wi-Fi calling solution is the best in the business. It's a lifeline in weak-signal areas, and it saves you big bucks abroad.
3. True HSPA+. AT&T's "HSPA+" phones are an embarrassment. They use slow modems, and their speeds are further crippled so that in some cases, they're slower than HSPA 7.2 phones like the iPhone 4. T-Mobile gets HSPA+ right with fast phones like the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, and the carrier has a path to take its super-3G network all the way up to 168Mbps.
4. Even More Plus. Wireless carriers can give away "free" phones because they build the price of the phone into your two-year contract. T-Mobile had a radical idea: if you pay full price for the phone, why not get a discount on your service? None of the other Big Four carriers do this—certainly not AT&T. But it's simple math and common sense, and AT&T should continue to offer these plans.
5. Great Customer Service. T-Mobile has built its brand on a certain level of sassy friendliness; you often actually feel like the company's salespeople and customer service agents are on your side. T-Mobile got a stunning five stars in JD Power's most recent customer care ratings. AT&T got two. On several components of "wireless retail sales satisfaction," T-Mobile got five stars across the board; AT&T didn't get a single five-star rating. AT&T should let the T-Mobile customer service and sales people take over AT&T's business, not the other way around.