T-Mobile Won't Get iPhone Until At Least 2012

For Apple fans, likely the most pressing question to emerge out of the AT&T and T-Mobile merger is what the move means for the future of the iPhone.

In an FAQ on its website, T-Mobile has addressed the question of whether its customers would ever see their own version of Apple's phone. The short answer: not yet.

T-Mobile USA remains an independent company, the statement said. The acquisition is expected to be completed in approximately 12 months.

Those twelve months are sure to be busy ones for AT&T and T-Mobile, which will have to respond to the host of legal and regulatory concerns that will emerge in the wake of the merger.

Of course, even if the merger is approved, the iPhone would still need to undergo its own hardware adjustments before it's compatible with the T-Mobile network. Though T-Mobile and AT&T's networks both use GSM technology, the carriers use different frequencies, which future iPhones would have to adjust for. For that reason, most analysts don't expect a T-Mobile-compatible iPhone until after the merger closes in any case as it would take some time to develop and test.

Until then, T-Mobile reminds its customers that they can busy themselves with phones like the Samsung Galaxy 4G and upcoming Sidekick 4G, both of which will be boosted for T-Mobile's 4G network.