America Gets Its 5th And 6th iPhone Carriers, But They’re Still Not T-Mobile [Updated]

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nTelos will be the second regional iPhone carrier in the U.S.
nTelos will be the second regional iPhone carrier in the U.S.

Most news about the iPhone in the U.S. is centered around the major national carriers including those that offer the iPhone (AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint) and T-Mobile, which doesn’t.

Today, however, that news focuses on Virginia-based carrier nTelos, which will become the second smaller carrier in the U.S. to offer the iPhone. Seeking to differentiate its iPhone options from the larger carriers, nTelos is also offering some sweet deals on the purchase of an iPhone 4/4S as well as a bargain price for unlimited data.

nTelos, which uses the same CDMA network technologies as both Verizon and Sprint is offering iPhones for $50 less than the standard pricing. That means $50 for the 8GB iPhone 4 and a $149 starting price for a 16GB iPhone 4S.

nTelos is offering an unlimited plan includes voice, texts, and data starting at $99.99 for a single line with a second line being just $40 more at $139.99. Macnn notes, however, that unlimited data may be throttled upon reaching a 5GB threshold.

nTelos iPhone rate plans compared with the national carriers

nTelos will start selling the iPhone on Friday, April 20 at seven in the morning. It looks like pre-orders won’t be available but the company’s website does include a form for receiving updates and additional information about the launch.

nTelos is the second regional carrier to offer the iPhone. Mississippi-based C Spire began selling the iPhone 4 and 4S in November (and currently offers similar pricing to nTelos for the iPhone 4S).

T-Mobile continues to be the only national carrier that doesn’t offer the iPhone. This is largely because T-Mobile currently relies on different set of spectrum bands for 3G service than other carriers. The company hopes to offer the iPhone once it has implemented the spectrum that it received from AT&T as part of the AT&T’s failed effort to acquire T-Mobile.

Update: Shortly after the announcement that nTelos will begin selling the iPhone, another regional carrier made a similar announcement. Alaska Communications will also begin offering the iPhone 4 and 4S at midnight (more accurately 12:01) on April 20. Alaska Communications will have the handset available in the 14 retail stores and online. The carrier will offer the iPhone at the same price points as nTelos ($50 cheaper than the national carriers).

Unlike nTelos Alaska Communications doesn’t appear to be offering an iPhone-specific unlimited data plan. Its website does list a nationwide smartphone plan that includes 5GB of data as well as unlimited talk and text for $94.99.

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