Looks like T-Mobile's not planning on resting on its laurels in the 4G tablet wars: they've just officially announced the Dell Streak 7 will be coming in the following weeks. At the same time, they're also promising to increase 4G speeds in the coming year, aiming to double download speeds. Impressive, especially considering just how far behind T-Mobile was in coverage just a few short years ago.

Extra-large image for an extra-sexy tablet.

The Streak 7 is an absolutely stunning tablet (from the looks of it), and packs some damn fine specs:

  • 7" WVGA screen (Gorilla Glass)
  • 1 GHz Tegra 2 dual-core CPU
  • Android 2.2 (*facepalm*) with Market support
  • 5 MP camera around back, 1.3 MP front-facing camera (with Qik)
  • 16 GB memory out of the box
  • SWYPE

Notably, the tablet will run Froyo, rather than Gingerbread or  Honeycomb. There's no mention of upgrades in the release, but if Dell's history with the original Streak is any indication, it should arrive sometime in 2013. Aside from that, as the render shows, it will apparently be packing a pretty nice custom UI as well as a a three-button (vs. the current four-button) design. Still, I'm not complaining - both the UI and physical design look gorgeous to me.

As for the 4G? Looks like they're hoping to ratchet speeds up to 21 Mbps (theoretical, download) by mid-2011, and double that to 42 Mbps by the end of the year. Jaw-dropping indeed.

Full release:

T-Mobile USA CEO and President Philipp Humm

Highlights the Company’s Network Leadership

and Focus on Fueling Data Adoption

T-Mobile Doubles the Speed of America’s Largest 4G Network and Introduces Its First 4G Tablet: the Dell Streak 7

LAS VEGAS, Nev. and BELLEVUE, Wash. — Jan. 6, 2011 Today at the 2011 International CES, T-Mobile USA CEO and President Philipp Humm highlighted the company’s network leadership, supported by Nielsen data confirming that T-Mobile delivered the fastest wireless data performance in the top 100 U.S. markets during the second half of 2010.1 In addition, Hummannounced the nationwide availability of T-Mobile’s 4G network, now reaching approximately 200 million people in 100 major metropolitan areas.

“In 2010, we delivered on our ambitious goal to become America’s largest 4G network, and this year our customers will be able to experience speeds equivalent to home broadband while on the go,” said Humm. “We’ll continue to focus on fueling the adoption of mobile data, by offering innovative and affordable smartphones and tablets, as well as aggressive data plan pricing and rich and compelling data services.”

T-Mobile also unveiled plans to double the speed of its 4G network this year, which will be capable of delivering peak download speeds of up to 42 Mbps. Moreover, the company announced that in 2011 it will launch at least 25 new 4G devices, starting with its first 4G tablet — the Dell™ Streak 7, expected to be available at T-Mobile stores across the country in the coming weeks. The company vowed to aggressively expand and evolve its 4G smartphone portfolio, launching additional devices capable of delivering peak download speeds of up to 21 Mbps in the first half of 2011, and smartphones capable of delivering peak download speeds of up to 42 Mbps in the second half of the year.

The cutting-edge download speed was demonstrated today by company representatives using a T-Mobile laptop stick developed by ZTE, capable of delivering peak download speeds of up to 42 Mbps and slated to launch in the first half of 2011. By doubling the speed of its 4G network, T-Mobile will offer its customers an unprecedented wireless experience, fueled by improved performance in the use of rich media applications, including creating and sharing mobile content, streaming video, and participating in multi-player gaming and videoconferencing.

The company expects 140 million Americans in 25 metro areas to have access to these increased 4G speeds by mid-2011. T-Mobile’s enhanced speed capabilities will also benefit its customers using existing 3G devices for data services, as the backward-compatible network enables 3G devices to achieve their maximum speed performance.

“We are pleased to support T-Mobile as it continues to deploy and develop its 4G network, which today is delivering next-generation speeds and performance to hundreds of millions of customers,” said Angel Ruiz, president and CEO, Ericsson North America. “We are confident that HSPA+ will continue to offer a viable and cost-effective alternative to LTE and WiMAX, providing a comparable 4G experience to customers for the foreseeable future. And, with a strong and growing ecosystem of network equipment and handsets, we anticipate that HSPA+ can develop into one of the most advanced technology platforms in the industry.”

“Consumers are increasingly embracing the benefits of smartphones, with 80 percent of U.S. mobile customers wanting a smartphone, and as many as 100 million of them not yet having one,” said Cole Brodman, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. “Our compelling offering of affordable broadband devices and consumer-friendly data plan pricing will enable customers to step up to mobile data and 4G, and our customers will not pay a toll to ride on our 4G superhighway.”

About the Dell™ Streak 7

T-Mobile’s first 4G tablet, the Dell Streak 7, is capable of peak speeds up to 21 Mbps to provide a super-fast 4G mobile broadband experience for watching movies and entertainment through preloaded content and thousands of widgets, games and applications available on Android Market™. Running the Android 2.2 operating system, the Dell Streak 7 features a brilliant 7-inch WVGA touch screen with Gorilla® Glass, dual core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and full Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 support.

About T-Mobile USA, Inc.

Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the U.S. wireless operation of Deutsche Telekom AG. By the end of the third quarter of 2010, approximately 130 million mobile customers were served by the mobile communication segments of the Deutsche Telekom group — 33.8 million by T-Mobile USA — all via a common technology platform based on GSM and UMTS, the world’s most widely-used digital wireless standards. Today, T-Mobile operates America's largest 4G network, and is delivering a compelling 4G experience across a broad lineup of leading devices in more places than competing 4G services. T-Mobile USA’s innovative wireless products and services help empower people to connect to those who matter most. Multiple independent research studies continue to rank T-Mobile USA among the highest in numerous regions throughout the U.S. in wireless customer care and call quality. For more information, please visit http://www.T-Mobile.com. T-Mobile is a federally registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG.  For further information on Deutsche Telekom, please visit www.telekom.de/investor-relations.

For more information about T-Mobile’s 4G products, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

1 Source: The Nielsen Company estimation based on an independent benchmark. Nielsen’s benchmark tests included the following networks: AT&T-HSPA, Verizon-EVDO-RevA, Sprint-EVDO-RevA, and T-Mobile-HSPA+. The tests were conducted between May 28, 2010, and Nov. 30, 2010. Results do not reflect all commercially available services in the market, including AT&T’s HSPA+, Clearwire’s WIMAX and Verizon’s LTE networks. Copyright (2010) The Nielsen Company.

Home broadband speeds vary widely, and speed boosts for 3G devices vary based on device capability. T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network not available everywhere. For more information about T-Mobile’s 4G services, mobile broadband products, device features, or the offers and services mentioned, see http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage.