T-Mobile adds 20 4G markets, 11 with doubly fast HSPA+ 42

Verizon Wireless and AT&T blazed ahead with their LTE rollouts this week. Following behind, T-Mobile today announced that in 11 additional markets it has doubled the speed of its HSPA+ based 4G network to HSPA+ 42 technology, as well as rolled out HSPA+ 21 to 9 new markets, bringing its grand total to 208 markets and more than 200 million people.

The tally allows the carrier to stand behind its "America's Largest 4G Network" slogan. Though with Verizon already at 179 markets, well exceeding its goal for the year (CP: AT&T, Verizon meet 2011 LTE goals), and AT&T, with its six new markets this week, reaching now 15 markets and 70 million users, T-Mobile will have to keep hustling to retain the title.

The carrier recently released the Samsung Galaxy S II and the HTC Amaze 4G — its first two smartphones able to take advantage of the HSPA+ 42 technology, which is said to offer speeds average download speeds of 8 Mbps and peak speeds of 20 Mbps. Driving more than half of the network's 4G traffic, CTO Neville Ray said in a statement, are "streaming video and audio."

The new markets receiving T-Mobile's HSPA+ 42 today are: Bend, Medford and Corvallis, Ore.; Benton Harbor, Mich.; Bloomington, Champaign–Urbana and Springfield, Ill.; Columbus, Ga.; Hagerstown, Md.; Montgomery, Ala; Yuba City, Calif.

Meanwhile, Corvallis, Ore.; Decatur and Peoria, Ill.; Evansville, Ind.; Holland and Kalamazoo, Mich.; Santa Barbara, Calif; State College, Pa.; and Yuba City, Calif., will see speeds increase under T-Mobile's HSPA+ 21 rollout.

The carrier has been stuck for sometime in an in-between stage, as lawmakers debate whether AT&T should be allowed to purchase the nation's fourth-largest carrier — which some have said has made the carrier shy toward the types of major sales it was once known for.

Though this Saturday, T-Mobile is offering what it calls "Magenta Saturday" — its solution to the hassle of Black Friday. Letting you properly sleep off your Thanksgiving turkey, on Nov. 19 T-Mobile will offer a number of smartphones, tablets and broadband devices for down payments of $0 to $50, followed by low monthly payments.

The HTC Amaze 4G and Samsung Galaxy S II, for example (after a rebate card and with a mail-in rebate, as is the case for all devices included in the promotion) will be $50 with a $20 monthly payment. The BlackBerry Bold 9900 will be $50, with a $20 monthly payment, the T-Mobile G-Slate $50 with a $10 monthly payment, and the Dell Streak 7, not a single buck, though you'll pay $10 a month.

"T-Mobile continues to make it easier for consumers to upgrade to 4G data and join the smartphone revolution," said T-Mobile Senior Vice President of Marketing John Clelland.