Is that really true?
Here in Sweden at least two - and probably all four - carries don't charge anything for tethering and it's been available since the launch of iPhone OS 3.
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AT&T Continues to Delay U.S. iPhone Tethering Due to Concerns About Network Performance
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Is that really true?
Here in Sweden at least two - and probably all four - carries don't charge anything for tethering and it's been available since the launch of iPhone OS 3.
Yes it is ... by now. Millions of dollars in profit from iPhone data and text plans since exclusivity with Apple with no discernible upgrade in performance and their network excuses are just as tired as Al Gore in the Winter.
AT&T has absolutely no sympathy from me. They already charge $60/month for the PC card subscriptions - utilizing the same 3G network iPhones would supposedly be using. So their tired, fragile network apparently works for these customers. So what is it, AT&T?
I believe they just can't decide how to charge for it and are waiting to see what Apple will do with the next gen phone and new carriers before offering any incentive to compete. Way to break ground, Ma Bell ... you idiots.
Exactly. I hope the days of exclusivity are coming to an end soon.
+1
Thank you for mirroring my own feelings on the matter. I may actually drop the iPhone and pick up an iPad after the contract has expired and switch to a carrier who doesn't have their heads in the sand.
Exactly. The paranoia at AT&T and from its apologists is puzzling. Just how long should they be given to upgrade their infrastructure? How long should the old argument of astronomical overhead they supposedly incur be used before it becomes lame? 2 years? 5? 20? It only takes one 2-year contract for me to decide.
Too long. If there was such a huge problem with data on their network, they wouldn't be selling the 3G PC cards. It seems like hypocrisy to me.
Greed aside, it doesn't. Clearly there are significant numbers of folks who jailbreak their iPhones to tether and my 3G service seems the same today as it did when I bought the iPhone 3G. I might concede that laptop or even iPad data consumed would be greater than the iPhone's, but there doesn't seem to be any concern about the infrastructure limitations so long as you fork over $60/month for it.
No memo. But you may have missed the point. They are allowed to profit as much as the market can bear - for now <<insert hypothetical political segue here>>.
It seems to me the millions of dollars they give away in incentives via those promotional cards should say something about their desire to retain / attract customers. Just a thought, but maybe a few less of these freebies going out would be better spent on subsidies (to pay for additional features like tethering) to entice current customers to stay.
Oh they're thinking about it, alright ... The problem is, will they ever be "ready"? I don't think they ever want to be - until the other players start competing with them in the U.S.
I can actually understand AT&T's issue/stance here. No doubt the iPhone has made mobile Internet usage soar- all the stats show it; the other carriers haven't had this burden because their networks are still only used by other smart phones where people only use the Internet when they have to (and not because they *want* to.)
Tethering will take this one step further. It will be easy to do and probably "just work". So that Mackbook Pro that was just on a home network using a 20 megabit/sec pipe doing 20 different things (downloading stuff, streaming media, etc.) is now going to be brought out of sleep mode and tethered and place all of that burden on the 3G network.
Guys, it would be just lovely if 3G bandwidth was unlimited. It isn't. Not on *anyone's* network.
Tethering will take this one step further. It will be easy to do and probably "just work". So that Mackbook Pro that was just on a home network using a 20 megabit/sec pipe doing 20 different things (downloading stuff, streaming media, etc.) is now going to be brought out of sleep mode and tethered and place all of that burden on the 3G network.
Guys, it would be just lovely if 3G bandwidth was unlimited. It isn't. Not on *anyone's* network.
Do you happen to know the number of 3G PC cards in the wild vs. the number of iPhones? I don't, but I'm guessing you do or else you wouldn't have made that statement- so please tell...
yes, please upgrade the network... get 1 mile outside of a city here in NC, and you lose 3g and switch over to edge. At my home, if I was to disable my wireless router I would be on edge network or have no service. Thanks to my wireless network - I can have internet service, but sometimes my cell phone will bounce from "No service" to 3 bars.
Also I cannot understand why, if I am in a city in NC I am on edge and sometimes have to reboot my phone just so that 3g kicks in. it is like AT&T wants to limit 3g access. Don't tell me it is my phone, because most of the time and in all other cities; 3g will automatically kick in. Just some cities in NC, I have to reboot to get back on the network and have it switch to 3g.
Edit: Once I get my 3g ipad, and my contract expires - I may think about what phone to get next. I don't like Sprint and they bought Nextel, which WAS a good company until Sprint got their hands on them (plus Sprint has major billing issues). I am kinda limited to who I can have in my area, and I also need to ensure it is 100% available with email, internet, and a few apps for my work - so going prepaid for what little phone calls I make is not going to work, since most those pre-paid companies only work in a downtown area of a large city (if they are even in that city) and the phone are just plain crap throw aways. plus sometimes you end of paying more for pre-paid than if you have a plan, as some companies charge 4 units (minutes) just to make the connection and then round to the next minute when the call is over. we had pre-paid once and I was wondering why I was buyiing recharge cards so much for my wife. I looked and saw they were charging 10 units for a 6 minute call.
Also I cannot understand why, if I am in a city in NC I am on edge and sometimes have to reboot my phone just so that 3g kicks in. it is like AT&T wants to limit 3g access. Don't tell me it is my phone, because most of the time and in all other cities; 3g will automatically kick in. Just some cities in NC, I have to reboot to get back on the network and have it switch to 3g.
Edit: Once I get my 3g ipad, and my contract expires - I may think about what phone to get next. I don't like Sprint and they bought Nextel, which WAS a good company until Sprint got their hands on them (plus Sprint has major billing issues). I am kinda limited to who I can have in my area, and I also need to ensure it is 100% available with email, internet, and a few apps for my work - so going prepaid for what little phone calls I make is not going to work, since most those pre-paid companies only work in a downtown area of a large city (if they are even in that city) and the phone are just plain crap throw aways. plus sometimes you end of paying more for pre-paid than if you have a plan, as some companies charge 4 units (minutes) just to make the connection and then round to the next minute when the call is over. we had pre-paid once and I was wondering why I was buyiing recharge cards so much for my wife. I looked and saw they were charging 10 units for a 6 minute call.
not snowballs chance that ATT is going to activate tethering now.
if you buy a PC G3 card you have to pay $60/month for the contract. Tethering would be free or very cheap otherwise people won't buy it. In addition to that ATT expects to sell contracts to iPad G3 owners. That alone is going to be huge. my guess is 2 mio contracts in the next 24 month. most of them will be $30/month for every month. if I'm correct then ATT hopes to make 60mio/month or 720mio/year. they will not jeopardize that market by offering tethering.
if you buy a PC G3 card you have to pay $60/month for the contract. Tethering would be free or very cheap otherwise people won't buy it. In addition to that ATT expects to sell contracts to iPad G3 owners. That alone is going to be huge. my guess is 2 mio contracts in the next 24 month. most of them will be $30/month for every month. if I'm correct then ATT hopes to make 60mio/month or 720mio/year. they will not jeopardize that market by offering tethering.
Ya know with all the ipads being sold. I would not be surprised if AT&T goes against what Jobs said in the keynote and starts making you have contracts for your ipads. Most people do not realize this, but the 250mb plan is a joke. I was looking at international data rates for a trip, buried in the notes was this...
"The average email can be 5mb or more, especially if it contains attachements"
"Push Notification uses up bandwith"
"if you do not set your email to only connect and check manually, then every timed interval, you are using up your mb's just with connection and checking email"
"mb's count for just connecting to your email service and checking to see if you have mail - average connection is 3-5mb which does not include mail retreival or sending emails"
"texting counts against your mb's"
AT&T told me (when I was going to the Bahamas) that 250mb can be used up in the matter of minutes if I was not careful and did not turn off everything. So for that trip, I opted not to have internet, or email all weekend.
Huh? So since people use their cell network they should be given a pass? If you tether, you'll be using the computer and not the iphone. So you go from iphone soaring to computer soaring. soaring is soaring. Who cares what the device is. If you have 2 like devices and allow one to tether and the other to not, then you should be upset. It's not like you are demanding something for free, you pay for the service. Wow.
Aim low, avoid disappointment. How sad.
Maybe it is the case in the US, here in Spain it is more than enough! even used a shared internet connection on my iPhone 3G to download the 10.4.8 update to crack my
TV and regularly use my 3G connection to download tv series, (with various download programs ) can even D/L things faster with my iPhone than my works internet connection Wanted to respond to goldenlotus
3g doesn't have enough bandwidth for a good web experience.
I'm sorry, but I call complete BS on AT&T!!!!
If they're so worried about how much bandwidth we'll use, why then are they PERFECTLY WILLING to sell me a USB 3G Dongle for my laptop (which I will contend I'd use more bandwidth through because it's plugged into the laptop and not battery powered like the iPhone)???
Why are they PERFECTLY WILLING to sell me a tethering plan for EVERY OTHER 3G Phone and Smartphone they sell???
But iPhone? NO.
BANDWIDTH IS BANDWIDTH you IDIOTS!
Note - I have NO problem with AT&T charging us extra for tethering. I currently play $40 (with corp discount) for the 5GB/mo data on the 3G USB adapter. I'd be perfectly willing to pay the same to be able to do it with my iPhone and not have to carry around the 3G dongle.
THE ONLY reason I could see for AT&T not allowing it is if the iPhone doesn't provide them with some means to lock out non-paying customers from tethering, or if it doesn't provide them some means of monitoring tethered vs. non-tethered data use.
Get with the program AT&T! You're about to lose that $40/mo from me to Sprint because you can't get your heads out of your butt!
If they're so worried about how much bandwidth we'll use, why then are they PERFECTLY WILLING to sell me a USB 3G Dongle for my laptop (which I will contend I'd use more bandwidth through because it's plugged into the laptop and not battery powered like the iPhone)???
Why are they PERFECTLY WILLING to sell me a tethering plan for EVERY OTHER 3G Phone and Smartphone they sell???
But iPhone? NO.
BANDWIDTH IS BANDWIDTH you IDIOTS!
Note - I have NO problem with AT&T charging us extra for tethering. I currently play $40 (with corp discount) for the 5GB/mo data on the 3G USB adapter. I'd be perfectly willing to pay the same to be able to do it with my iPhone and not have to carry around the 3G dongle.
THE ONLY reason I could see for AT&T not allowing it is if the iPhone doesn't provide them with some means to lock out non-paying customers from tethering, or if it doesn't provide them some means of monitoring tethered vs. non-tethered data use.
Get with the program AT&T! You're about to lose that $40/mo from me to Sprint because you can't get your heads out of your butt!
I have a Blackberry Bold 9700, with tethering, and have NEVER used their software. There is plenty of info on the net on how to do it without it.
This missing feature is what is keeping me on my backberry and off the iphone. If they came out with it I would switch immediately.
I too think their decision to not offer tethering on the iphone is just done because they have a monopoly on the iphone and do not have to. As soon as some competition comes into play then we will see the feature set expand.
Actually, if you tether - it is still only one internet connection, your iphone. It is not like your iphone is a router with 4 ports, plus wireless. no difference really, than using your phone through bluetooth as a dialup device. Yes, I remember those days. I doubt very much someone would be surfing the web on their iphone and computer simultaneously. and even at that, all data would be transferred through the 1 connection.
Even with a router, you still only have the one connection through DSL or cable. your router polls the ports to see who needs the connection next (very fast, that is why you do not usually notice). However, I have done some very heavy data downloads and slowed the other computers down at times (but very briefly).
So I do not see what the big deal is with tethering and surge on networks. if we are paying for an unlimited data plan, and then should be able to use any device through that plan and contracted device. the days of having and internet plan per device in the house are over.
Well i find it funny that people feel that they are "Entitiled" to something from AT&T. AT&T is not obligated to provide tethering and if someone doesn't like it then Cancel.
Even if AT&T offered Tethering 1) People would complain about the pricing 2) People would complain about a 5GB Cap. So either way people will not be happy.
Even if AT&T offered Tethering 1) People would complain about the pricing 2) People would complain about a 5GB Cap. So either way people will not be happy.
If I've got this wrong, would someone please explain this to me?
I can stream video to my iPhone over 3G, 24/7. This is a high traffic task which is perfectly allowed and enabled.
If I chose to route another device's connection through my iPhone, how would I be using ADDITIONAL traffic??
Seems to me that AT&T is hedging their decision on a presumptuous idea that people WILL be using high traffic tasks 24/7, if they allow tethering.
And yes, it should be free. This is not an additional service that AT&T provides. This is something that the HARDWARE provides.
I can stream video to my iPhone over 3G, 24/7. This is a high traffic task which is perfectly allowed and enabled.
If I chose to route another device's connection through my iPhone, how would I be using ADDITIONAL traffic??
Seems to me that AT&T is hedging their decision on a presumptuous idea that people WILL be using high traffic tasks 24/7, if they allow tethering.
And yes, it should be free. This is not an additional service that AT&T provides. This is something that the HARDWARE provides.
As much as it sucks, when they eventually do offer tethering it is going to be an additional $30 a month. Yes, in addition to the $40 min voice plan and the $30 iPhone data plan, just like with every other smartphone AT&T has.
I hate this fact as much as anyone else but it is the sad reality, I'm afraid.
Correct sir!! We're already paying enough for spotty service!!
AT@T better hope no one else gets the iphone, I'll pay to dump att and go somewhere else!
Budget carrier? All of T-Mobiles plans look just as expensive as the ass-raping you get from Verizon, only without the same coverage.
So AT&T should provide a service for free? That every other provider charges for? This makes no sense. AT&T is a For profit company. Not a Not for profit. And your saying that this is a service the hardware provides? That makes no sense. If it was only the hardware that provided the service. Then you wouldn't need any network behind it.
AT&T's network provides the service and therefore they should be able to benefit from people using it.