iPhone5: Any chances of a pentaband 3G radio?

[manly]

prepaid plans aren't really any cheaper, and the customer will be paying full retail for a phone. Seems like it would be a win/win for Apple. IMHO at least 1 of the cell phone companies out there should offer an uber high end phone. I do pre-paid because I don't want to be stuck in a contract. While maybe not a huge market, there are some of us who would pay $600 for a phone so we can have it on a pre-paid service. I know technically I can buy a retail phone, but T-Mo or AT&T or Verizon should offer one as an option. It could attract people who want pre-paid but also want an iPhone.

As long as the prepaid people stay customers it would be better for a provider since they don't have the $400 discount they gave the contract person to worry about.

The ARPU (avg monthly bill) for prepaid is significantly lower than for postpaid. What you're advocating for, and I agree with, is a European style mobile industry where you bring your own phone to any carrier with no commitment.

But that's not the point here, we don't have that market in the U.S. For T-Mo to lose a million postpaid subscribers in about a year means they're losing the most profitable customers who often want smartphones with data plans. And at best replacing them with subscribers who need only a feature phone with limited minutes. Or for example abaez who's taking advantage of the great $30 plan they have instead of about $70+ if he was a typical smartphone user on a 2-year agreement.

Don't get me wrong, T-Mo is great for competition and I'm thankful the AT&T buyout was blocked. But they're rapidly turning into a second-tier carrier and back to the original point, penta-band is one of the last things Apple is worried about. I imagine DT will continue to shop T-Mo around to any takers.