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T-Mobile backtracks: Apple Watch Series 3 will now get LTE speeds

By Adam Westlake/

Good news for T-Mobile customers planning on getting the new Apple Watch Series 3: less than a day after revealing that the new LTE-enabled smartwatch would be limited to 3G speeds on its network, T-Mobile has reversed its stance and says users will get full 4G LTE data speeds. The carrier's CEO John Legere revealed the change on Twitter, acknowledging users' "frustrations" and "feedback."

When the Apple Watch Series 3 launches next Friday, users with the T-Mobile One Plan can add the wearable to their account for an extra $10 per month. That pricing hasn't changed, but originally the plan was for the smartwatch to be limited to 512Kbps data speeds, with 4G LTE speeds requiring another $25 per month.

MORE: Hands-on with Apple Watch Series 3

T-Mobile has now scrapped this idea, making 4G LTE speeds the default, which is a welcome change. However, the backtracking likely came about after the carrier realize that none of the other US mobile networks were imposing data speed limits on the new Apple Watch.

At this point it's unlikely any users will really need full 4G LTE speeds, as even Apple Music streaming on the Watch can be handled by the 3G-like data limits. But at least now customers won't need to worry about paying extra to use the wearable's full capabilities down the road when more data-intensive features are introduced.

SOURCE T-Mobile/John Legere

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