T-Mobile announced that its no-contract 4G data plan will be going live today. Customers on T-Mobile can now get unlimited 4G data, and unlimited talk and texting for only $70 a month. It’s obvious that T-Mobile is hoping to steal some customers from the other carriers with this move.

“Simply put, consumers want their data to be blazing fast, without limits and without overages,” said Mike Sievert, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. “With our new Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan, that’s exactly what we’re giving them, and for the first time, we’re offering it without an annual contract. Other carriers want to lock customers in; we’re going to earn our customers’ business with an amazing 4G experience every day.”

Like always, there is a catch though. Only a limited number of phones are available on this new no-contract plan, and hardly any of them are exactly “great” phones. The only real standout device in the list of supported phones is the Galaxy S III. For a limited time, however, T-Mobile is also offering the LG Optimus L9 for only $199 for new no-contract customers. It’s a little on the weak side, but it should be good enough for those who care more about the unlimited data instead of their phone’s power.

The new no-contract unlimited 4G data plan will be available starting today through the T-Mobile Web site or retail stores. Those who aren’t near T-Mobile retail outlets can get on the new plan through select dealers and national retail outlets.

T-Mobile announced today that their Unlimited Nationwide 4G data plan is now available to customers at their stores or online. It should be a big boost to T-Mobile’s business after consumers have become increasingly fed up with Verizon and AT&T only increasing the prices of their plans.

“Since our inception, we’ve always strived to shake up the industry with plans, network capabilities, and innovative products and services for our customers,” said Brad Duea, senior vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. “Today’s release of our Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan continues our tradition of bold moves that enhance the customer experience and change the way wireless is done.”

To convince people to make the switch, T-Mobile is offering a free (after rebate) HTC One S to all who sign a two-year contract. Offering a free HTC One S is a pretty tempting offer when you consider it’s one of the best Android handsets on the market. It will also be getting an upgrade to Jelly Bean later this year.

Even with the offer of the free HTC One S, it doesn’t excuse the elephant in the room – no iPhone 5. The iPhone 4 and 4S were just recently made compatible with T-Mobile’s network, but that requires customers buy an unlocked iPhone at full price. Not being able to offer a subsidized iPhone 5 alongside their unlimited 4G plan might hurt T-Mobile in the long run.

Regardless, T-Mobile has become a good guy of sorts among mobile carriers. Offering an unlimited 4G data plan only further cements that image. It still might not be enough to convince people to switch over from carriers that do offer the iPhone and will be selling the iPhone 5 day one.

Today Sprint announced that it has rolled out its 4G LTE service to four new cities. Subscribers in Baltimore, Maryland; Gainesville, Georgia; Manhattan/Junciton City, Kansas; and Sedalia, Missouri can now connect with faster 4G speeds.

“Our customers are enjoying new applications and devices that increase the demand for mobile data,” said Bob Azzi, senior vice president for network at Sprint. “The network build-out – that today is playing out in four new cities – will provide nothing less than a state-of-the art network platform for the next generation of customers. Customers across the country will begin to experience better 3G service on their devices and will be able to take advantage of 4G LTE on cutting-edge devices as we continue to launch more cities.”

In addition to its LTE rollout, Sprint also announced that customers in Baltimore, Boston, and Washington D.C. have just gotten the company’s improved 3G service. That should come as a relief, as tests earlier this year found that Sprint’s 3G speeds were abysmal in comparison to the other major carriers.

Completely going against current industry trends, T-Mobile announced today that they will begin offering unlimited 4G data to their customers. The company says the new plan is perfect for “both data-hungry customers who want to experience all their smartphones are capable of and those wanting the peace of mind of never having to keep track of their data usage.”

“We’re big believers in customer-driven innovation, and our Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan is the answer to customers who are frustrated by the cost, complexity and congested networks of our competitors,” said Kevin McLaughlin, vice president, marketing, T-Mobile USA. “Consumers want the freedom of unlimited 4G data. Our bold move to be the only wireless carrier to offer an Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan reinforces our value leadership and capitalizes on the strength of our nationwide 4G network.”

T-Mobile is opening the new unlimited plan to both new and existing customers. New customers need only buy a new phone and they’re set with the new plan. Existing customers will only need to upgrade to the unlimited 4G plan when it becomes available on September 5.

Unlimited data is nice and all, but how much is it going to cost? Surprisingly, not much at all. T-Mobile says that a single line with the value voice and text plan combined with unlimited data will cost $69.99 a month. A classic voice and text plan with unlimited data will go for a bit more at $89.99 a month. It will obviously cost more for Family plans as the unlimited data will cost $20 per line on the value plan and $30 per line on the classic plan.

I can see customers angry over Verizon’s and AT&T’s new data plans moving to T-Mobile, but only if the carrier gets better phones. For one, T-Mobile doesn’t carry the iPhone and their Android line-up is severely lacking. The only great Android phone they carry is the Samsung Galaxy S III whereas other popular Android products are exclusive to Verizon and AT&T.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see how this announcement shakes up the mobile world. Will customers leave carriers like Verizon and AT&T for free unlimited data or will they put up with their current carriers for better phones? It’s a balancing act that consumers unfortunately have to play as carriers continue to evolve their plans for maximum profit.

So, we should have close to a month’s worth of leaks, rumors and speculation to tide us over until then. The latest comes from The Korea Times (via TheNextWeb), which reports that SK Telecom and KT officials say they’ve been in talks with Apple. Kim Yoo-chul reports:

“KT is in negotiation with Apple to persuade the latter to support KT’s 1.8-gigahertz frequency in Korea for the upcoming iPhone,’’ said one KT source, asking not to be identified.

SK Telecom is also pushing for the same. Officials from the nation’s biggest mobile carrier are currently in Apple headquarters in California to persuade Apple to support SK’s LTE frequency for its local customers.

SK reportedly uses an 800-megahertz frequency.

As reported the other day, alleged leaked photos of the device’s motherboard seem to confirm LTE support. As others have noted, this support could put increased strain on the device’s battery.

More iPhone 5 rumor coverage here.

Through a separate agreement, AT&T will also acquire NextWave’s debt for a total of about $600 million.

NextWave holds a significant wireless spectrum portfolio in the United States and Canada, which will become AT&T’s, should the deal go through. AT&T gives a little background on events that led to the purchase:

WCS spectrum was first auctioned in 1997, but has not been utilized for mobile Internet usage due to technical rules designed to avoid possible interference to satellite radio users in adjacent spectrum bands.

In June, AT&T and Sirius XM filed a joint proposal with the FCC that would protect the adjacent satellite radio spectrum from interference and enable WCS spectrum — for the first time — to be used for mobile Internet service. This proposed solution on WCS spectrum, which is still under review by the FCC, effectively creates much-needed new spectrum capacity.

According to AT&T, the proposed WCS rule changes and NextWave acquisition represent an “alternative approach to creating additional wireless network capacity to help support skyrocketing wireless data usage on smartphones and tablets.”

Of course, the deal must go through FCC review, and other customer closing conditions. AT&T will be able to begin initial deployment of WCS spectrum for added 4G LTE capacity, in about three years, if the deal is approved.

From the first quarter in 2011 to the first quarter in 2012, the popularity of 4G devices has grown from 1.4 percent to 7.6 percent.

While people under the age of 34 account for most of the users already taking advantage of 4G, 63 percent of teens are expected to make the change in the coming year. Regardless of how you break it down, younger people are most likely to be adopting, or considering adopting, 4G technology.

Take a look at Nielsen’s bar graph:

Nielsen’s 4 major takeaways for the mobile industry:

1). While both awareness and adoption of 4G have increased, understanding of 4G remains low as 55 percent of respondents are unable to identify any forms of 4G technology.

2). Eighty-six percent of 4G smartphone owners are satisfied with their 4G devices, comparable to owners of 3G devices, although satisfaction is notably low for battery life among 4G owners (46%). A portion of 4G smartphone owners report manually toggling between 3G and 4G on their device in an effort to conserve battery life.

3). Although 39 percent of 4G smartphone owners indicate that 4G was a factor influencing their purchasing decision, only 8 percent identify 4G as the most important factor. The research found that 4G capability is considerably more important for those purchasing a data card or mobile hotspot than either a smartphone or tablet.

4). Current 4G users are five times more likely to consider 4G as a replacement for their home broadband connection.

As part of the announcement for the new iOS 6 mobile operating software, Apple said that its users will now be able to take and receive FaceTime calls over a cellular network. (3G for iPhone, 4G for iPad) This is a huge deal for FaceTime users, as it makes video calling truly mobile.

Carriers may have to deal with a lot of extra data through their networks, which was though to be the reason Facetime wasn’t cellular network enabled from the get-go. If you have unlimited data, then go for it. Otherwise you may find your data cap has been maxed out after just a few calls. But, still, it’s nie to have the option.

Apple will also unify your Apple ID and your phone number, allowing you to take calls from your Mac or iPad with FaceTime.

Apple is constantly trying to merge its mobile and desktop/laptop devices while trying to keep you constantly connected to an Apple machine of some type. This will allow people to take a call from their iPhone and transfer it to their Mac if they happen to be at their computer.

[TNW]

Seeing how limited it is by the lack of 4G enabled devices, Verizon has taken the initiative and brought together a group of automotive companies to look at creating data-enabled cars. This week the company formed the 4G Venture Forum for Connected Cars to push through innovation in car design. BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, and Toyota are all on-board. According to Verizon, the group will explore ways to make cars of all types connected and discuss ways to accelerate deployment of 4G LTE technology in the automotive industry.

“There are many challenges to designing next generation telematics and infotainment solutions, including supporting safe and responsible driving, advancing vehicle-to-vehicle solutions and improving sustainability, among others,” said Tami Erwin, chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. ”As an innovator in the technology industry, Verizon is a natural impetus for this collaboration, which we all expect will include other companies and spur results that will benefit not only the industry, but millions of consumers around the world.”

It is easy to see the benefits of having a high speed data connection on the road. Navigation, weather reports, and messaging features are the basic uses that come to mind. Also, in-car apps for Pandora and similar streaming radio services would be the end of satellite radio. Combined with Google’s self-driving cars, a 4G data connection would mean a mobile living room.

The only question left is why no U.S. car companies are part of Verizon’s new forum. The answer for Ford could be that the company is already far ahead of other car companies with its SYNC technology, and is perhaps already working on implementing data in its cars. Chrysler and GM could use a place at the table with Verizon if they hope to catch up, as car technology is rapidly shifting focus to Silicon Valley rather than Detroit.

At the same time that the carriers are rolling out these zippy new networks, the handset manufacturers are cranking out 4G-capable devices (and you can bet the iPhone will be one of those when it launches later this year). And of course, every phone manufacturer is going to tell you that their phone is better, and some certainly are, but the networks are pretty much all the same, right? After all, 4G LTE is 4G LTE, isn’t it?

Well, it turns out that that’s not exactly the case. Not all 4G networks are created equal, as Sprint executives revealed today at the CTIA conference in New Orleans. Sprint’s new 4G LTE network, it seems, will not be as fast as the competition. Whereas Verizon and AT&T use 10 MHz channels for their network, Sprint will only be using 5 MHz channels at the beginning. That means that Sprint’s network will be a bit slower than the competition.

Now, before you give up on Sprint altogether, the slower speed doesn’t mean that their network will necessarily be worse. For one thing, as PC Mag is reporting, the network is being designed with consistency in mind. Verizon’s 4G speeds can be a bit varied, and the network has distinct difficulties when a user passes from a 4G coverage area to a 3G area. Sprint is working to make sure that their network suffers from neither of those problems.

Sprint is also planning to make several other network improvements, according to today’s report. For one thing, they will be moving voice calls to the spectrum that will be freed up when they shut down the Nextel network. That should take some of the load off the company’s current 3G network, which should improve its data performance.

Of course, it also bears remembering that of the three largest carriers, only Sprint still offers an unlimited data plan. Verizon and AT&T have long since abandoned unlimited data in favor of a tiered system. Those data plans – and their caps – remain unchanged on the much faster 4G networks. Sprint, on the other hand, insists that they will keep their unlimited data plans even after the switch to 4G LTE.

So, for all that Sprint’s 4G network will be a bit slower than the competition, you have the option of unlimited data as a tradeoff. Considering how easy it is to burn through those data caps on any 4G network, unlimited data is nothing to sneeze at.

What do you think? Is it a problem that Sprint’s 4G LTE network will be a little slower than the competition? Does the promise of unlimited data change how much you care about network speed? Let us know in the comments.