T-Mobile To Boost Web Hosting Services

With its major shareholders pressuring Deutsche Telekom to improve the finances of its T-Mobile USA unit, the firm is planning to increase its Web hosting business and possibly add Apple's iPhone to its lineup of smartphones.

Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann and executives at T-Mobile USA placed emphasis last week on resorting to marketing an established business -- Web hosting -- which the company believes will drive the company's future business in the U.S. unit and elsewhere at Deutsche Telekom.

Calling the T-Mobile USA's effort "Netzoffensive USA", Obermann said the U.S. unit plans to have its HSPA+ high speed wireless service available for about 185 million Americans.

Andres Jordan, the firm's VP of Innovations, Deutsche Telekom North America, echoed Obermann, noting the Web hosting will play an important role in T-Mobile USA's future. Both men noted that wireless networks are filling up as more and more smartphones are activated.

In other developments T-Mobile USA CEO Robert Dotson said the U.S. operation has been talking with a number of cable companies about ways of finding additional spectrum. According to the Reuters news service, Dotson said T-Mobile USA has been talking with Clearwire about a joint venture.

That comment revived perennial rumors of a possible T-Mobile USA-Sprint partnership. Sprint is the majority owner of Clearwire, which has been rolling out its 4G WiMax network in selected cities. Clearwire is reported to be preparing to introduce its first WiMax phone.

All the talk of partnerships is complicated because most of the players already have multiple owners and partners. Deutsche Telekom's largest shareholder is the German government. Deutsche Telekom has rights to market the iPhone in Europe, but can't market it in the U.S., because AT&T has an exclusive marketing deal for the iPhone.