T-Mobile reports strong subscriber growth

U.S. mobile subscriber growth contributed to strong 2005 subscriber growth at T-Mobile. The German operator, which has mobile phone operations in 10 countries, recorded 9 million new customers in 2005, bringing the company's total to 86.6 million. The U.S. market was the group's fastest growing market. T-Mobile USA added 1.4 million customers in the fourth quarter and 4.4 million for the year, ending with 21.7 million customers.

Despite the strong growth, T-Mobile USA's position as the nation's fourth-largest wireless operator, as well as one of the industry's fastest growing, might not be enough to guarantee its long-term prospects as it faces increasing competitive pressure from other operators. It's biggest downfall right now is its lack of spectrum for wide-area high-speed services. The carrier is expected to bid for new spectrum in the government's upcoming auction of advanced wireless services spectrum, but it has to quickly catch up with Verizon, Sprint Nextel and Cingular, which have already launched high-speed data services. But T-Mobile has stuck with the company through thick and thin since purchasing then VoiceStream for a big premium, and T-Mobile USA is still the best performing market for the group's international operations. We probably won't see a merger or sale anytime soon.

To read more about T-Mobile's results:
- check out this article from IDG News Service