Wireless - Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Omnipoint was a mobile operator and wireless services provider that was introduced to America in 1996 in New York City. The company is now known as T-Mobile USA, the third largest mobile services company in America, and one of the many subsidiaries of the German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom AG, based in Bonn, Germany. Before Omnipoint was sold in 2001, it introduced many commercial innovations to America that provided the foundation for today's mobile ecosystem. Among the company's many innovations: international text messaging; mobile wireless Internet; Wi-Fi Sharing or tethering, and many more. As was common in the 1990s when mobile operators dictated device development, Omnipoint drove the design of many mobile phones that became consumer favorites. The company was founded by Doug Smith, who acquired licenses in the PCS auctions of the 1990s, and was led by George Schmitt, a member of the wireless Hall of Fame who deployed the first digital wireless network, D2 in Germany, which became Vodafone.