T-Mobile Taps Google G2 As Its 1st HSPA+ Phone

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 8/30/2010

Bellevue, Wash. — The first smartphone specifically designed for T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network will be the T-Mobile G2 with Google.

Previously, T-Mobile said its first HSPA+ phone would be available in the summer to deliver 4G speeds but didn’t identify the model.

The G2 will be the successor to the HTCmade T-Mobile G1, a 3G slider/touchscreen phone launched almost two years ago as the first Android-powered phone in the U.S, TMobile said.

A spokesperson declined to reveal further details.

HSPA+ service is available in nearly 50 major metropolitan areas across the country, covering more than 85 million people. The carrier, however, plans to double the geographic footprint of its HSPA+ network by year’s end to 100 major metro areas with a population of 185 million.

HSPA+ technology delivers theoretical peak data speeds up to 21Mbps, compared with 7.2Mbps on the carrier’s 7.2Mbps HSPA network, which reaches more than 206 million people. The company noted, however, that 16 of its HSPA-equipped phones get a speed boost when used in the HSPA+ markets, though not to full HSPA+ speeds.

Current 3G phones have the potential to double their peak theoretical speeds to 14.4Mbps, depending on their processing power, the carrier previously said.