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AT&T 3G MicroCell Site Goes Live, Monthly Fees to Be Up to $19.99?

People love to complain about AT&T... in fact, I'm one of them. I live in New York and am absolutely not satisfied with their service.

HOWEVER, this is a great move by AT&T. They are offering the ability to enhance in home coverage FOR FREE! Everybody is all like "omfg I have to pay to enhance my own coverage?!?" but all your paying for is the device. You really expect AT&T to shell out 70 billion of those little things at no cost to you -- the person benefitting from it? Think of it as if you're buying a cell signal extender from a 3rd party. Just because AT&T's selling this device, people flip.

YES I think AT&T's coverage should be better, but at least this is a step in the right direction.
 
I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. I live in Los Angeles and still get horrible service at my house. So now I'm supposed to pay more money because AT&T can't get its act together?

This cocky, FU attitude from AT&T must mean that Apple is extending their exclusive deal. How else could they be so ballsy?
 
nick004 said:
I'm starting to wonder if this site has not become a iPhone PR tool. Any kickbacks we should know about? Why is this trivial stuff on page 1? Rather have quality reports than quantity. Gone are the days when something new appeared on this site you actually got excited...
Click to expand...
Yeah, this just seems like a big yawner. Seems more useful for 3G phones without WiFi and maybe businesses, but not really that iPhone related.

Why would somebody even get an AT&T mobile phone if the coverage is that crappy at their home?
 
pcguru83 said:
I don't think anyone knows yet. I'm just psyched we get it first. Charlotte never gets anything first! :)
Click to expand...

Hey, Charlotte has an Olympic-quality white water rafting course and is generally a pretty cool town...kwitchercomplainin'!
 
Err... how about using the home's WIFI and doing voice over IP when in range of the home network? You know, like the rest of the world...
 
Nice Reporting...

....way to get the entire unbiased story before you present it :)

Update: Engadget now reports that the 3G MicroCell service is currently only running as a "public trial" in Charlotte, North Carolina. The $19.99 per month pricing is reportedly also a part of the trial, so apparently no final decision on pricing for the full rollout has yet been made.

Update 2: GearLog clarifies that the 3G MicroCell device costs $150 and that, besides the monthly "unlimited minutes" charges, users also have the option of using their monthly wireless minutes for no additional charge.
 
aristobrat said:
For anyone with an iPhone that gets crap AT&T coverage at home (which would be 90% of iPhone owners, if you go by the forum posts here), then this is very exciting news.

They'll actually be able to reliably use their iPhones at home for the first time ever!

How is that not exciting?
Click to expand...

You know, the more I read into this. It really doesn't seem to bad. ;) I get maybe one bar Edge, if I'm lucky at home. If I could cut out that Verizon landline bill with this that would cut costs by about $50 and I always have plenty of rollover minutes as it is so I wouldn't need the $20 per month unlimited service! Hmmm...
 
I wonder if the $100 equipment rebate will be available for me. I have ATT dsl and land line, so I qualify for free unlimited.
 
$150 is probably a cost, nothing to pay monthly. I will get one ASAP. As for all the whinners, get real, all providers suck. What do you think would happen to Verizon if they had all the iPhones data to handle?
 
Let me get this straight

I don't have a problem with the 150 dollar device charge. It has to be paid for somewhere. But, the 20/month or use my own minutes is ridiculous.

Basically, for 20 bucks a month, I get to use my broadband, my ISP and my bandwidth to make my AT&T experience in my home acceptable. The other option, use my bandwidth and my network to enhance AT&T's network while they charge me for minutes that I use over my network.

Crazy. This is about as dumb as Obama's Cap and Trade scam. Quite coming up with ways to charge us for things that don't belong to you!!

The only thing that will change my tune is if AT&T can show that the 20 dollars a month simply covers the expense of connecting my phone to the another's via the AT&T system.

Another approach would be to let me open my connection up to all phones, and then pay me for my network usage when a person makes a call on my network. That way, I'm truly enhancing the AT&T network and AT&T pays me for the use of my bandwidth.

I think it's clear that AT&T has been playing on capital hill too long. They need to come down and deal with the people again.
 
nick004 said:
I'm starting to wonder if this site has not become a iPhone PR tool. Any kickbacks we should know about? Why is this trivial stuff on page 1? Rather have quality reports than quantity. Gone are the days when something new appeared on this site you actually got excited...
Click to expand...

+1. If you look back at the old news stories, there were spy shots, speculation, but it didn't read like a PR tool for Apple, which is how MR presents itself now.
 
I've had every iteration of the iPhone from original launch day to 3GS. Which is to say - I feel qualified to comment on AT&T's service - which is completely unacceptable/unusable in Denver, CO (especially considering their current rates).

It's weird, every month I uphold my end of the bargain: I send in my family plan payment, in full & on time. Yet AT&T is not upholding their end of the deal. I'd say about 25% of the time, 3G is completely unusable. I know dozens of iPhone users here that don't even turn ON their 3G, yet continue paying for the "feature."

So for AT&T to offer his MicroCell service at additional chargess only underscores their detachment from reality and/or complete and utter disregard for their customer base.
The fact they want to charge me for 3G that doesn't work AND now want to charge me to expand their network is laughable.

Here's a couple of things that could happen that would help my relationship with AT&T.
•*reduce my monthly bill by the fees I currently pay for a service (3G) that does not work.
• continue charging me for 3G but allow me to access their MicroCell service for free. That way, at least when I am home I can use 3G (which currently, I can't - and that's with an AT&T cell tower within line of sight of my house!).

It's too bad... the iPhone is hands down the best hand held device on the market. I wish the service provider could match.
I'm not sure what the solution is... will opening it up to other carriers help? I don't think it could hurt.
 
deannnnn said:
People love to complain about AT&T... in fact, I'm one of them. I live in New York and am absolutely not satisfied with their service.

HOWEVER, this is a great move by AT&T. They are offering the ability to enhance in home coverage FOR FREE! Everybody is all like "omfg I have to pay to enhance my own coverage?!?" but all your paying for is the device. You really expect AT&T to shell out 70 billion of those little things at no cost to you -- the person benefitting from it? Think of it as if you're buying a cell signal extender from a 3rd party. Just because AT&T's selling this device, people flip.

YES I think AT&T's coverage should be better, but at least this is a step in the right direction.
Click to expand...

im in NYC as well and service depends where you are. midtown is sucks due to the big buildings and people. on the hudson it's pretty good. queens and brooklyn it's good as well but the data is a bit slow
 
I wonder what the radiation implications of this technology are.
If my neighbor installs one right below my baby's crib, I'm essentially going to have a cellphone tower with a low range (say 500 feet) right below his head.

It's bad enough that my apartment gets saturated by WiFi from all my neighbors since nobody bothers to turn down the transmitting power of their Wi-Fi from factory default.
 
thejadedmonkey said:
Why is this even posted on a mac site. Sure mac has since been translated into Apple, but is Apple now synonymous with AT&T?
Click to expand...

Well, yes it is.

UNIX was created by AT&T....this is the foundation for MAC OS X.

Apple's core growth is now wireless....a service invented by AT&T many years ago.



The ties are stronger than you think (or want it to be) !
 
yetanotherdave said:
How do they lock that down? If it transmits/receives a 3g signal then surely any capable phone would be able to use it?
Click to expand...

There are two features in the microcell sites to lock the phones being used. 1. It records the SIM # of your phones. 2. It has a built-in GPS unit so you can't even move it to another location.
 
So basically the consumer is paying AT&T even more money for AT&T's incompetent network. Boy what a business plan. Not only that, they are piggybacking off of YOUR internet connection that you also have to pay for.

Folks, if you don't receive a signal where you live you have every right to get out of your contract and go with another service provider.
 
This doesn't apply to me and it never will. I have tried AT&T internet services and they suck. I won't ever have them in my home again. Looking forward to the day Apple takes away their exclusivity for the iPhone.
 
All of this negative feedback is rather troubling.

This is a GREAT solution for people who live in areas where they can't get network service, why don't more people see this?

My sister lives in the Hollywood Hills. NO ONE can get service where she lives. NO provider. ATT's Microcell makes cell phone using a reality for her, and many other people in her situation throughout the country. $150 is well worth the price tag and unless I'm wrong, no other cell phone company has this technology yet.

In "Theoretical Land", sure, it would be great if cell phone towers reached the entire country and everyone could get service everywhere they went. But it doesn't work like that, and if you're too stupid to see the benefits of this technology, than you're an idiot IMO. Flame away.

+2. It's one of the only times you'll see me complimenting ATT.
 
I love Sprint's

I have a Pre ( I know heresy!) and I got them to throw in a free Airave that does the same thing as AT&T is launching and it's wonderful. (and I would have got an iPhone if they had this 6 months ago)

That said does this lock onto registered phones like mine? My Airave uses the phones GPS to tell it "this phone is authorized" and it isn't like wifi where (unless you lock it) anyone without striking distance can filch bandwidth.
 
uricmu said:
I wonder what the radiation implications of this technology are.
If my neighbor installs one right below my baby's crib, I'm essentially going to have a cellphone tower with a low range (say 500 feet) right below his head.

It's bad enough that my apartment gets saturated by WiFi from all my neighbors since nobody bothers to turn down the transmitting power of their Wi-Fi from factory default.
Click to expand...

Got sources that prove your claim or are you just paranoid? Why would anyone turn down the power of their WI-FI? Is that even possible? Let me guess, you believe in alien abductions too? Seriously, you have more to worry about just going out for a Sunday drive and stopping off at McDonalds on the way home.
 
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