As reported at T3 (“The world’s No. 1 gadget mag”), it is rumored that T-Mobile may scoop Cingular for the release of the still rumored Apple iPhone.
The implication is that T-Mobile’s investment in both UMA technology as well as 3G spectrum make it better fit for the requirements of an iPhone. Just speculating here, but it does makes sense. An average song from iTunes is roughly 5 mbps, and a 1 hr TV show runs about 200 mbps. To be useful and profitable for the consumer, existing 3G technology just won’t cut it for multimedia downloads.
However, with UMA and Wi-Fi, T-Mobile offers Apple a very high speed, very low cost broadband access network with seamless mobility to the existing cellular network. Downloading multimedia over 802.11 is cost effective and extremely fast for both the operator and the consumer.
Does UMA give operators the upper hand in new multi-media applications and service delivery? We’ll have to wait to see how this plays out.
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