Rumor has it that T-Mobile will be launching its long-awaited 3G data network this coming October, Engadget is reporting.

The rumor—and it is just that, at present, supposedly from an anonymous source at the company—is that on October 1st, the carrier will bring 3G data service to 27 of its top markets, including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and Miami, among others.

T-Mobile representatives have declined to comment. As the only major U.S. carrier without a 3G network, we say get this show on the road sooner rather than later. This way T-Mobile can overcharge us for give us plenty of mobile media options just like the other carriers do.

T-Mobile USA has asked the Federal Communications Commission to extend up to three months the public comment cycle for a controversial free wireless Internet plan, RCR Wireless News reports. The request would give the company additional time for interference testing, and probably delay a final decision until after the fall presidential and congressional elections.

"T-Mobile USA, which spent $4.2 billion on 120 licenses in the AWS-1 [spectrum] auction two years ago, remains concerned that AWS-3 operations could cause interference to spectrum the carrier hopes will provide it with sufficient capacity to provide 3G wireless services and thereby remain competitive with AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp," the article said.

T-Mobile is just launching their high-speed 3G network now, after spending several years as the lone major wireless carrier in the states without one.

T-Mobile, the smallest of the nation's four major wireless carriers, has increased the price of sending text messages on its network from 15 cents to 20 cents, according to Gearlog:

"The change, which goes into effect on August 29th, matches similar raises from Sprint, who bumped up their per text charge to $.20 in October of last year and Verizon, who raised their postpaid customer charges from $.15 to $.20 (depending on their plan, prepaid Verizon subscribers pay between $.02 an $.10 per text)."

Last week, T-Mobile announced that it was joining other carriers in pro-rating its contract cancellation fees.

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T-Mobile just announced that it will begin pro-rating or reducing the cost over time of its early termination fees for contract customers, according to CNET News. What that means is that customers won't have to pay as much to end their contract early, the longer the customer remains in the contract:

"Beginning on June 28, customers with a one-year or two-year contract with T-Mobile will see their early termination fee drop from $200 to $100 if they end their contract with 91 to 180 days remaining on their agreement. If they end a contract with fewer than 91 days left on it, they will pay a termination of fee of $50. For customers who terminate their service in the last 30 days of their contract they will either pay the $50 fee or their standard monthly charge, depending on which one is cheaper."

Unfortunately, the new policy only affects those who sign up for new contracts after June 28th (either for a new phone or as part of a contract renewal).

Guess we should have seen this one coming: T-Mobile is suing Starbucks, accusing the coffee behemoth of a breach of contract by allowing AT&T to provide customers with free Wi-Fi access in its cafes, CNET News reports:

"In a complaint filed Thursday in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, T-Mobile says Starbucks secretly developed a plan with AT&T to provide Wi-Fi at its cafes, despite an exclusive partnership with T-Mobile. T-Mobile, which is seeking unspecified damages, alleges the companies broke an agreement over how Starbucks should transition the service from T-Mobile to AT&T."

Last week, after a long slog of a roll-out, AT&T began offering two hours of free Wi-Fi at Starbucks, near the end of Starbucks' phase-out of its seven-year relationship with T-Mobile.

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T-Mobile just expanded its $99.99 per month, all-you-can-talk-and-text plan by adding in a family component, according to Engadget Mobile. It works like this: Buy the first line for $99.99 as you normally would. Then, add up to four additional lines of service, each with the same "limitless bucket of minutes and messages," for $49.99 for each additional line.

The company is packaging it on their site as "FamilyTime Unlimited," which includes two lines configured as such for $149.98 per month. But "make no mistake, you can still add another three on top of that to make sure all the kiddies get their fair share," the report said.

RCR Wireless News is reporting that a class-action cramming suit has been filed against T-Mobile USA, among other carriers; the complaint, moved this week from state court to federal court in California, "accuses the defendants of charging wireless subscribers for various services without their consent."

The report said that in addition to T-Mobile, other defendants named in the suit include Opera Telecom and Flycell.

"Defendant T-Mobile caused plaintiff Moore's cellular phone to include the unauthorized charge of $9.99 per month for Ringazza, and similarly caused plaintiff Butler's cellular phone bill to include the unauthorized charge of $9.99 for Flycell," states the suit.

"In doing so, defendant T-Mobile omitted necessary information from plaintiff' cellular phone bills that was required by [California statute], including the means to contact the offending third-party company, such as a toll free number."

T-Mobile USA, the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the country, said Thursday it added 981,000 customers in the first quarter. Along with an acquisition, that brings its total to 30.8 million, according to The Associated Press:

"T-Mobile USA completed its acquisition of SunCom Wireless in February, which added 1.1 million subscribers in the southeastern United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands."

The report said that T-Mobile's growth means it is doing better than the next-largest carrier, Sprint Nextel, which has been losing subscribers and had 53.8 million customers at the end of last year. Meanwhile, Verizon Wireless added 1.5 million subscribers in the first quarter, and AT&T added 1.3 million and is still the largest of the four major U.S.-based carriers.

T-Mobile also finally turned on its high-speed, 3G network this week in New York City, with other cities to soon follow.

Score another one for Yahoo in its battle with Google for mobile search supremacy. Reuters reports that T-Mobile is switching from Google to Yahoo as its preferred mobile Web services provider in northern and central Europe.

The switch will happen at the end of March.

According to Reuters, Yahoo senior VP Marco Boerries said that adding T-Mobile as a carrier partner increases to more than half a billion the number of mobile users exposed to Yahoo services.

T-Mobile USA has been hit with a class action suit over alleged charges for text messages received by consumers who do not want the feature, RCR Wireless News reports.

The problem stems from the fact that customers are charged for both sending and receiving messages--even if the customer doesn't want them. Think about it: all those mobile text ad campaigns we've covered cost customers money if they haven't signed up for some kind of unlimited texting plan.

"T-Mobile refuses to disable the texting messaging feature on its customers' accounts, even when the customer has no interest in sending, or, more importantly, receiving text messages," stated plaintiffs representing customer Maria Detwiler and others. "Moreover, T-Mobile requires each of its customers who have not subscribed to one of T-Mobile's Messaging Value Bundles to pay for each and every unsolicited text message they receive."

Class action nails T-Mobile USA over texting services [RCR Wireless News]