T-Mobile is working with several smartphone manufacturers on a technology to remotely install its own apps and ringtones and even change the startup screen. This means the operator is able to remotely convert a regular version of the phone to a 'provider branded' phone. The report comes from the Dutch website Tweakers which received confirmation from T-Mobile that the company is indeed working on this together with smartphone manufacturers.
Provider branded phones are phones that come with (undeletable) apps from the mobile provider and third-parties pre-installed. They usually also show the provider's logo somewhere such as on the homescreen or startup screen.
T-Mobile's update technology is currently developed in cooperation with HTC and Samsung, but a spokesman of the provider told Tweakers it's made most advances with LG.
The technology works based on the user's SIM-card and starts to work as soon as the card is inserted into the phone. Based on several SIM-card parameters, the technology is able to determine to which network of a mobile operator the smartphone is connected. Once a specific mobile operator is detected the user receives a notification asking to install an update.
According to T-Mobile this update can contain apps and ringtones from the company but also network optimizations. During a test the provider also changed the startup screen of smartphones but feedback learned that users found that to be undesirable. All updates can be removed by the user, T-Mobile told Tweakers.
Smartphones that come with mobile operator branded apps and content are nothing new, but till now the branding was always added before a phone was put in its packaging. It's unknown whether also other mobile operators are working on this technology.
