Some T-Mobile stores receiving Nano SIM cards for iPhone 5

Great news for folks who have managed to get their hands on an unlocked iPhone 5 and are looking to start up T-Mobile service with the handset. Reports are coming in this weekend that some of the carrier’s retail stores have started receiving shipments of iPhone 5-compatible Nano SIM cards…

TmoNews reports:

 ”A bit of a surprise today as T-Mobile stores begin to receive NanoSIM cards used in conjunction with the iPhone 5. Our original expectations had T-Mobile NanoSIM cards arriving sometime in the middle of October, but we’re not one to complain about anything arriving ahead of schedule in the wireless world.”

There’s no word on how widespread availability is, and the site’s tipster says that stores only began receiving the Nano SIM cards yesterday morning. But the fact that they’re shipping is still great news.

Remember, T-Mobile is in the middle of rolling out a major new “bring your own iPhone” marketing campaign, including in-store activation of unlocked iPhones, and iPhoneHSPA+-friendly network upgrades. It’s also started advertising its new line of “truly” unlimited data plans for smartphones.

Unfortunately, Apple hasn’t started selling unlocked versions of its new handset yet. Butwe’ve confirmed that the Verizon model is GSM-ready, and there are several 3rd party vendors selling unlocks as well.

So again, if you have an unlocked iPhone 5, and are looking to switch to T-Mobile, it might be worth checking out your local store. There’s a chance that they may have some Nano SIMs in to get you going.

Sprint Will be Getting the iPhone 5

As of right now, the iPhone is only available on two major wireless carriers here in the United States. AT&T, which was originally the sole carrier of the iPhone, and now Verizonboth offer the device.

Rumors have been circulating over the past several months suggesting that Apple will finally extend the iPhone to both T-Mobile and Sprint this Fall, but so far there has been no official announcement.

Now, The Wall Street Journal has decided to chime in on the matter, and is reporting that a Sprint-branded iPhone is a lock for this October…

WSJ editor Dennis Berman sounded the alarm from his Twitter account a few minutes ago. Apparently, the publication has concrete evidence that Sprint will be carrying asmartphone from Apple this Fall.

“Sprint Nextel Corp. will begin selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October, people familiar with the matter said, closing a huge hole in the No. 3 U.S. carrier’s lineup and giving Apple Inc. another channel for selling its popular phone.”

According to the report, the device won’t be available to Sprint customers until mid-October. And since the iPhone 5 has been slated to launch October 7th, it sounds like Sprint might be late to the party. But better late than never I always say.

The news isn’t that surprising, given the recent reports floating around that the iPhone 5 will support both GSM and CDMA networks. Why wouldn’t Apple want a shot at Sprint’s 50 million+ subscribers?

With Sprint getting Apple’s smartphone this Fall, you have to assume T-Mobile won’t be far behind. And with the addition of two major carrier partners in the U.S., expect Apple to do big things this holiday season.

Are you currently a Sprint customer? Would you switch to Sprint if it got the iPhone 5?