T-Mobile is developing a streaming device that will run on Google’s Android TV, FCC documents show.
First reported by 9to5 Google, the device is for T-Mobile’s TVision service, which costs $90 a month and as of now comes to home TVs via a proprietary set-top box. TVision has 150-plus channels, with add-ons like HBO available for $6 a month. It offers an HD DVR as well as supports voice control for Alexa and Google Assistant.
The service is currently only available in select areas nationwide, which include Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Longmont, CO. It would follow that the new device might be part of a plan to expand the service nationwide.
Though images of the device itself aren’t provided with the FCC listing, based on images of the remote, the device will allow users to stream live TV and access over-the-top streaming services. The remote has shortcuts for T-Vision, a DVR and channel guide, as well as Netflix and YouTube. It also has a large Google Assistant button.
The FCC documents show that the new device will be produced also SEI Robotics, a Chinese hardware company that also produces the AirTV Mini, TiVo Stream 4K and a number of other Android devices.
In April 2019, T-Mobile inked a deal to bring top ViacomCBS (then just Viacom) channels – including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Network – to a mobile video service originally slated for 2019 that has yet to come to light.
Earlier this week, Xiaomi officially announced its Mi TV Stick, which also runs Android TV. The device is similar in form factor to the Fire TV Stick 4K and Roku Streaming Stick, and has a quad-core CPU, along with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. The Mi TV Stick will also have built-in Chromecast, Google Assistant, and support Dolby+DTS premium audio.