T-Mobile USA today announced the company’s wireless network expansion plans, including the deployment of its third-generation (3G) wireless broadband service to 27 major markets in the United States by the end of 2008. The planned expansion is expected to deliver T-Mobile 3G services to more than two-thirds of T-Mobile’s current data customers, with meaningful expansion to additional customers and markets through 2009.

T-Mobile’s UMTS/HSDPA high-speed data network is currently available across 13 major metropolitan markets: Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, New York (including northern New Jersey and Long Island), Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio and San Diego. The company plans to expand its service by mid-October to additional markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle. An additional six markets - Birmingham, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis and Tampa - are expected to have the network available before the end of the year, increasing the number of markets with T-Mobile’s 3G network to 27 markets.

“With the faster data speeds delivered by our 3G network, T-Mobile looks forward to offering mobile products and services that place the full power of the Web in our customers’ hands,” said Cole Brodman, chief development officer, T-Mobile USA.

T-Mobile’s 3G network supports multiple UMTS capable-phones as well as the HSDPA-enabled
Sony Ericsson TM506, a mass-market flip phone. In the coming months, T-Mobile plans to offer new and compelling data-centric, all-in-one devices that will help make the most of T-Mobile’s HSDPA network, which can deliver download speeds of up to 1 Mbps. The faster speeds allow T-Mobile customers to take full advantage of new and emerging applications from social networking to sending live video.

via [slashgear]