iPhone 5 AWS Chipset May Put T-Mobile Back in the Game

T-Mobile's Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray has revealed in an interview that his company is ready to support the next-generation of iPhones, should Apple decide to add another carrier to its growing list of wireless partners.

T-Mobile’s head says they use a unique band of spectrum called AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) that, so far, has prevented iPhones from running on their network.

That’s all about to change (with a little luck), as the iPhone 5 will support the standard thanks to a new chipset Apple plans to use in the handset.

"The next chipset will support AWS," CEO Neville Ray told Cnet. "The challenge that existed in the past will go away."

In other words, the wireless operator isn’t moving a muscle to support the iPhone 5. Nor should it.

It’s Apple who is making the first move towards a potential relationship between the iPhone 5 and T-Mobile, and that doesn’t necessarily mean the Cupertino tech-giant is giving it too much thought right now.

Remember when Apple launched the iPhone 4S in October 2011? Even C-Spire hopped aboard next to AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. At the time, T-Mobile expressed high interest in the device, but admitted that it was ultimately Apple’s decision to name its wireless partners.

"T-Mobile thinks the iPhone is a good device and we've expressed our interest to Apple to offer it to our customers," the company said at the time of the phone’s unveiling.

When they learned that Apple was not going to partner with them, T-Mobile said,"Ultimately, it is Apple's decision," and added, "We firmly believe that T-Mobile's portfolio will give any iPhone a run for its money."

Last year, there was talk that AT&T was interested in buying T-Mobile, but such plans have since been forgone.