T-Mobile’s made their Las Vegas refarmed 4G iPhone-ready network official with a morning press release courtesy of T-Mobile’s Chief Technology Officer, Neville Ray. Ray made a similar announcement this past friday at GigaOM’s Mobilize conference calling Las Vegas at least 75% live. So what does this mean for Las Vegas residents?

• Improved coverage: T-Mobile customers in Las Vegas will experience improved coverage and capacity on our 4G network in the vast majority of major hotels and casinos on the Strip, the Las Vegas Convention Center, Thomas and Mack Arena, as well as in surrounding cities such as Henderson and Summerlin.
• Faster speeds on unlocked iPhones: Las Vegas customers who bring unlocked AT&T iPhones to T-Mobile will now experience a significant speed boost. In fact, our internal tests of unlocked iPhone 4S devices running over 4G on our 1900Mhz spectrum recorded on average 70% faster download speeds than iPhone 4S devices on AT&T’s network.
• Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data: As America’s only nationwide 4G network with unlimited 4G data, T-Mobile offers consumers the best value in wireless. Customers who bring unlocked iPhones to T-Mobile can save up to $50 a month compared to AT&T.*

Ray is careful to note that this is the first of many markets that T-Mobile will “strengthen” this year with “sites” already live in Seattle, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and New York where customers are “already experiencing improved coverage and iPhone ‘speed sightings’ on T-Mobile’s 4G network.” Just to avoid confusion, Ray is calling Las Vegas a “live market,” where he is hinting that residents of the four latter cities are seeing the network come online, but the markets themselves are not yet fully ready.

You can read the full press release below or catch the rest of Ray’s comments from Friday’s event.

Press Release:

Live in Las Vegas: Improved Coverage and 4G iPhone Speeds

By Neville Ray, Chief Technology Officer for T-Mobile USA

As T-Mobile moves full speed ahead on its $4 billion plan to make our strong 4G network even stronger, the customer experience is already getting faster and more dependable. Today, I’m excited to announce that these improved experiences are now available to customers in Las Vegas! Hot on the heels of last week’s exciting news of John Legere joining as our new CEO, we’re continuing our Challenger momentum!

This year, we are modernizing our network with new equipment that will increase signal strength and enhance voice and data coverage.  Even better, as we retune our airwaves to turn on 4G service in our iPhone compatible spectrum in major markets this year, our network is becoming compatible with a broader range of unlocked devices.

So what does this mean for customers in Las Vegas?

• Improved coverage: T-Mobile customers in Las Vegas will experience improved coverage and capacity on our 4G network in the vast majority of major hotels and casinos on the Strip, the Las Vegas Convention Center, Thomas and Mack Arena, as well as in surrounding cities such as Henderson and Summerlin.
• Faster speeds on unlocked iPhones: Las Vegas customers who bring unlocked AT&T iPhones to T-Mobile will now experience a significant speed boost. In fact, our internal tests of unlocked iPhone 4S devices running over 4G on our 1900Mhz spectrum recorded on average 70% faster download speeds than iPhone 4S devices on AT&T’s network.
• Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data: As America’s only nationwide 4G network with unlimited 4G data, T-Mobile offers consumers the best value in wireless. Customers who bring unlocked iPhones to T-Mobile can save up to $50 a month compared to AT&T.*

Las Vegas is the first of many markets where we’ll strengthen the network this year.  Our program is rapidly moving forward — we’ve announced plans, secured vendors and launched our first market in just seven short months. With some sites live in other cities, including Seattle, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and the New York metro area, customers are already experiencing improved coverage and iPhone “speed sightings” on T-Mobile’s 4G network.

*Savings based on comparison of T-Mobile $69.99/month Unlimited Talk, Text and Data plan against AT&T Unlimited Talk, Text, and 3GB Smartphone Data plan. Does not include taxes, fees or promotional offers. Plan features and limitations vary.