T-Mobile is the last of the major United States carrier to go 3G. Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon Wireless have already rolled out third-generation mobile technology, but T-Mobile is apparently not aiming to provide high-speed data transfers over its new network but rather to provide more efficient voice service to its customers.

The 3G technology has significant advantages over the 2G network, which enable higher voice quality, more phones to operate in the same area and much more. T-Mobile's UMTS 1700 is not compatible with standard 3G networks used by its competitors. However, the phones will be able to connect in 2G GSM mode to other networks as well as T-Mobile's where there is no 3G coverage yet.

"T-Mobile's 3G network supports voice and data services consistent with available service and handset offerings," T-Mobile said. The company has 28.7 million subscribers and is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG of Germany.

3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and technology. It has also disadvantages which sometimes are more important than the technological improvements. For one, the current 3G chips use significantly more power, which is one of the causes that prevented Apple, according to most analysts, from launching a 3G iPhone earlier than it will.

T-Mobile and Nokia unveiled a new partnership last week, when they announced their plans to enhance European customers’ mobile Internet experience by bringing T-Mobile’s web’n’walk Internet services and Nokia’s Ovi Internet services on a wide range of mobile phones, the two companies said in an official statement.