No T-Mobile USA Sale, 3G in 2007

There is no "for sale" sign in the front yard of T-Mobile USA. Deustche Telekom's mobile division chief Rene Olbermann told a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce that the company plans to invest in 3G in the US, and said the unit's importance to Deustche Telekom's bottom line "is beyond doubt." Financial analysts had rumored T-Mobile USA as being on the chopping block since the beginning of the summer as a way for Deustche Telekom to cut debt.

However, T-Mobile continues to grow quickly, passing 20 million subscribers this week. In two and a half years, subscriber numbers have doubled, Olbermann said. He also solidified T-Mobile's promise for 3G services in 2007, and seemed content with the carrier's position as the fourth largest operator in the US, far behind market leaders Cingular, Verizon and Sprint-Nextel.