Exec: T-Mobile Not Getting iPhone 5 This Year

Despite an August blog report that predicted a T-Mobile iPhone 5 next month, an executive said during a recent town hall that the carrier will not get the next-gen Apple smartphone this year.

"We are not going to get the iPhone 5 this year," T-Mobile chief marketing officer Cole Brodman said during a recent company town hall, as reported by TmoNews.

The blog posted a screen shot from a T-Mobile intranet summary about the town hall that included promises of new smartphones for the holiday season, but no iPhone 5. As TmoNews pointed out in an update to its post, though, it's easy to read into the "this year" part of Brodman's comments.

"Does that mean an iPhone 4/4S is coming to T-Mobile this year or is a deal in place for T-Mobile to launch an iPhone in 2012?" TmoNews asked. "There is a lot of ways to interpret his statement but one thing seems certain, no iPhone 5 for T-Mobile anytime before midnight on December 31st."

The last T-Mobile iPhone rumor made the rounds last month when Mactrast quoted an anonymous "informant" at T-Mobile who said the next-generation iPhone would operate on T-Mobile's 3G network and could hit stores in early- to mid-October.

"We expect the addition of the iPhone, and the iPhone 5's ability to run on our 3G network to make a significant financial difference for T-Mobile," MacTrast's source said at the time.

What about Sprint? Bloomberg said recently that Sprint would not only sell the iPhone, but it would offer its unlimited data plan with the Apple smartphone. Last week, TUAW also reported that Sprint has started briefing employees about an October iPhone launch.

Of course, Apple still has to announce the iPhone 5 (or 4S), let alone what carriers will carry it. Apple watchers expect Cupertino to hold a launch event later this month for an early to mid-October launch, but we'll just have to wait until those invites go out.

For more, see Latest iPhone 5 Rumors: Oct. 15 Launch? Sprint? Leaked Cases? as well as What the iPhone 5 Might Look Like and Six Amazing Phone Technologies We Want in iPhone 5.

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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