T-Mobile has acknowledged internally that Apple’s iPhone offers a “poor customer experience” on its network, but the nation’s No.4 carrier is working as quickly as it can to change that. The company announced this past February that it will be performing upgrades to its network that bring faster data speeds to users who purchase an iPhone on their own and unlock it for use on T-Mobile, and on Tuesday the carrier said the work will be performed ahead of schedule.

Apple has tested an iPhone compatible with T-Mobile’s network, as BGR exclusively revealed more than a year ago, but such a device has yet to launch for reasons unknown. T-Mobile executives have stated publicly on a number of occasions that not carrying the iPhone is having a huge negative impact on the carrier’s performance. But Apple is preparing to launch its sixth iPhone handset later this year, and there are still no signs that the phone is set to be released by T-Mobile.

Because the carrier has not managed to work out a deal with Apple, it is making moves on its own to accommodate iPhone fans. By the end of 2012, T-Mobile will have launched HSPA+ “4G” service on the 1900MHz band in “a large number of markets.” By no coincidence, Apple’s iPhone is compatible with HSPA+ on the 1900MHz band.

“As part of the company’s network modernization effort, T-Mobile also plans to launch 4G HSPA+ service in the 1900 MHz band in a large number of markets by the end of the year,” T-Mobile stated in a press release on Tuesday. “Network modernization trials have shown up to a 33 percent increase in HSPA+ data speeds as well as improved in-building coverage. Rolling out 4G HSPA+ services in the 1900 MHz band will also provide customers with the ability to use a broader range of devices, including the iPhone, on T-Mobile’s 4G network.”

T-Mobile will not be able to compete with AT&T, Verizon Wireless or Sprint on price, of course. Because the company has not managed to secure a deal with Apple, it will not sell subsidized iPhone handsets directly to its customers. Instead, they will have to purchase used or factory unlocked handsets for use on T-Mobile’s network, or close their accounts with other carriers, unlock their iPhones and open a new account with T-Mobile. While this is less than ideal and a number of subscribers will be put off by the hassel and expense, it won’t stop everyone — T-Mobile noted last summer that its network was home to more than 1 million iPhones at that time.

Apple’s next iPhone is expected to be a complete redesign that will launch this coming fall, and it is also expected to be compatible with 4G LTE networks in the United States. Even if T-Mobile can’t secure a contract with Apple to offer the iPhone directly, its HSPA+ network enhancements this year and LTE roll-out next year will make using the new iPhone on its network as good an experience as possible for millions of its subscribers.

Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone 4S can now be SIM-unlocked in just a few easy steps, as can any previous version of Apple’s popular smartphone line. The new unlock procedure, mapped out this past weekend by mobile hacker “Loktar_Sun,” will allow iPhone owners to use a SIM card from any compatible carrier rather than just the carrier from which the phone was purchased. Users need only jailbreak their iPhones and follow a simple 13-step procedure to unlock their handsets, though caution should obviously be taken and the procedure will void the manufacturer’s warranty. This is a great option for international travelers and those who want to use an iPhone on T-Mobile’s U.S. network, however, and numerous users have successfully used the guide to unlock their iPhones.

[Via Gizmodo]

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AT&T plans to soon begin unlocking off-contract iPhones for customers with accounts in good standing who request that their devices be unlocked. Unlocking a handset allows the device to operate on any GSM network rather than just the network for which it was purchased, and AT&T does not currently provide customers customers with unlock codes for Apple’s iPhone. Engadget reported on Friday that the carrier was planning to amend its policy beginning this Sunday, and BGR was able to confirm the news with an AT&T spokesperson. ”Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “The only requirements are that a customer’s account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee.”

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It hadn’t even been 24 hours since Apple released iOS 5.1, and the hacking community has already let loose the first tethered jailbreaking tool for the updated OS. According to Redmond Pie, the iPhone Dev Team has updated Redsn0w to allow users to jailbreak their iOS 5.1 devices. The jailbreak is tethered, however, so users will be required to connect their devices to a computer each time they are powered on. The exploit works for all devices running iOS 5.1 with the exception of the iPhone 4S and iPad 2.

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As promised, ASUS has released a bootloader unlocking tool for the Transformer Prime. The tool is packaged in an APK that can be downloaded from the company’s website. Once downloaded and installed, the Transformer Prime will have the ability to run custom ROMS, however ASUS warns that unlocking your bootloader will void your warranty. “Once you activate the [unlock app] you will not be able to recover your ASUS product (“Original Product”) back to original locked conditions,” ASUS stated. “You also acknowledge ASUS does not guarantee service satisfaction to any Revised Product, including events involving paid service requested by you to be performed to the Revised Product.”

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Asus recently confirmed on Twitter that an official tool for unlocking the bootloader on the Transformer Prime will be made available in February. The company didn’t give an exact date for when the tool would be released, but the good news is Transformer Prime owners have just a few weeks to wait until they can unlock the bootloader on the quad-core tablet. Asus originally promised that the tool would be made available after upset customers lashed out in January. An unlocked bootloader allows Android users to install custom ROMs and kernels, but it does come with several consequences. As we noted earlier this year, unlocking the bootloader will void Asus’s warranty and some services, such as Google’s video rental application, will not work properly. 

[Via Pocketnow]

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We have just been informed that as of February 15th, Telus in Canada will be offering SIM unlocking options on almost all handsets and devices. To qualify, you will need to be an active post-paid customer with an account that has been open for a minimum of 90 days. Telus will charge $50 for the unlock code and will unlock both iDEN and GSM devices. Not a bad offering, right?

In an effort to thwart unauthorized efforts to unlock or jailbreak devices running Windows Phone 7, Microsoft took a rather unorthodox approach. Rather than sending idle threats or immediately entering into the endless loop of plugging security holes and watching new ones emerge, the company extended an olive branch to the developers behind ChevronWP7. Microsoft’s Brandon Watson reached out to the ChevronWP7 team, which recently released a Windows Phone 7 unlocking tool, and opened a line of discussion about homebrew app development. As a sign of good faith during the conversations, which could ultimately lead to some kind of homebrew support from Microsoft, ChevronWP7 has agreed to pull its unlocker tool. It seems odd that Microsoft would consider helping developers build apps with capabilities not allowed under Microsoft’s developer terms. Then again, the homebrew community will emerge and grow either way. By working with homebrew developers instead of against them, perhaps Microsoft can maintain some level of control.

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Earlier this morning, dev-team member MuscleNerd tweeted that he, and his gang of merry men, have successfully tweaked their ultrasn0w iPhone unlocking tool to working on Apple’s latest mobile iOS iteration, 4.2.1. If you read further down the twitter timeline, it looks like — for the time being — ultrasn0w is only working on iPhone 3G/3GS handsets with a baseband of 05.15.04; the iPhone 4 uses a different baseband and still needs more work. Despite not having a one-stop unlock for all iPhones, the dev-team will release the working version of ultrasn0w for the iPhone 3G/3GS in the very near future — they will not make users of said handset wait until the iPhone 4 exploit is completed. Hit the jump for the two read links.

Read [Twitter] Read [dev-team]

If you have a Windows Phone 7 device and are itching to get some OS tinkering in, listen up. Blog ChevronWP7 has released their first Windows Phone 7 unlocking tool for users running Windows XP SP2 or higher. The unlock will allows for “the sideloading of experimental applications that would otherwise can’t be published to the Marketplace, such as those which access private or native APIs.” The tool itself is a dead-simple executable file that requires three to four clicks to delivery its payload. If you’re interested, hit the read link and let us know how you make out.

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If you recently purchased — or have plans to purchase – a phone in the Samsung Galaxy S line, the folks over a xda-developers have a pretty interesting tutorial up on their forums. The instructions detail how to carrier-unlock your Galaxy S phone (e.g. Captivate, Vibrant, etc.) without the need to pay for a SIM unlocking service. The process is four steps long and looks to be a 4 or 5 out of 10 on the difficulty scale. Hit up the read link if you want to give this one a shot… and do let us know if you have any success. 

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If you have an iPhone 4, and are itching to use it on another network, the Dev-Team has got you covered. Early this morning, MuscleNerd announced that ultrasn0w unlocking software — version 1.0-1 — has been updated to work with the iPhone 4. The newer, more inclusive version of ultrasn0w will work with iPhone 4 baseband 01.59 and iPhone 3GS/3G basebands 04.26.04, 05.11.07, 05.12.01, and 05.13.04. If you’re itching to port your number (and your iPhone 4) to another network, jailbreak your iPhone, add the repo666.ultrasn0w.com repository to Cydia, install ultrasn0w and enjoy!

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Long the champion for Rural wireless carriers, the Rural Cellular Association has again championed the cause of unlocking handsets by pointing to the recent “We’re going SIM-Free” announcement by NTT DoCoMo. The Rural Cellular association took its case to the FCC in a letter that praises NTT DoCoMo’s pro-consumer decision to unlock its handsets and urges the FCC to encourage US-based wireless carriers to take similar steps. The RCA has been pushing this initiative for over two years to no avail; with the FCC a year into its  investigation of carrier exclusivity and its effect on consumer choice in the US, perhaps the time is now for this proposal to fall on some non-deaf ears?

[Via Information Week]

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Kudos to the iPhone dev team as member @Planetbeing has successfully unlocked the iPhone 4. The proof is in the picture above, which shows Bell Canada as the carrier for the iPhone 4, an impossible situation made possible by a successful carrier unlock (as the iPhone 4 has not been released in Canada). Eager iPhone 4 owners looking to duplicate this task themselves will have to wait, as the tools for the unlocking are not yet available for public consumption and most likely won’t be until after Apple releases it impending “antenna fix” update. Stay tuned and we will let you know when the unlocking tools finally drop.

Thanks to all who sent this in!

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The AP reports that a California federal judge has given the go-ahead to a monopoly class action lawsuit, against both Apple and AT&T, over several aspects of the iPhone. The suit claims that Apple, in making AT&T its exclusive partner, drove up prices and stifled competition in the smartphone market. The suit seeks to, “keep Apple from selling locked iPhones in the U.S. and from determining what iPhone programs people can install.” Naturally, the suit also seeks “damages to cover legal fees and other costs.” Apple has yet to release in an official statement in regards to the suit, but did say that it had not hurt competition. Unlocked iPhones and the ability to install applications from third party sources (Cydia!) sound pretty good to us.

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