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AT&T: 'Fine Tuning' Still Required Before Offering Internet Tethering Via iPhone

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Apr 12, 2001
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The Wall Street Journal reports that, given AT&T's recent move to allow VoIP services over its wireless network for the iPhone, users are wondering whether support for Internet tethering via the iPhone may also be launched in the near future. Tethering and MMS were promised as future features by AT&T when iPhone OS 3.0 was launched in mid-June, and MMS was finally enabled late last month with no update on the tethering situation at that time. AT&T is continuing, however, to reiterate its position that additional network upgrades are required before it can support tethering via the iPhone.
An [sic] spokesman for the wireless carrier, however, said that tethering remains unavailable and stuck with the company's prior statement: "Whenever we offer new features, we want to offer the best possible customer experience. For tethering, we need to do some additional fine tuning to our systems and networks so that we do deliver a great experience."

He declined to say when it would be available, though Ralph de la Vega, who runs AT&T's wireless unit, has previously said that iPhone tethering would be possible sometime this year.
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Tethering is officially supported on wireless networks in some countries, and allows users to connect their computers to the Internet via their iPhone's mobile connection via Bluetooth or USB.

Article Link: AT&T: 'Fine Tuning' Still Required Before Offering Internet Tethering Via iPhone
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2009/10/08/atandt-fine-tuning-still-required-before-offering-internet-tethering-via-iphone/
I don't see how they could charge this. I'm already paying for unlimited data plan. WTF?
 
Jailbroken phones have been tethering for awhile. I don't understand why "fine tuning" is needed. I think they're fine tuning the gouging price to charge for this feature.
 
Argh. Not that I absolutely need tethering, but AT&T's slowness to catch up on things like this is getting a bit old. Of course my biggest use of tethering is while traveling and to occasionally take a break and work outside for a while on nice days, and since it's now October already, the latter is becoming less relevant than when I thought tethering would be available "in the summer".
 
Razeus said:
I don't see how they could charge this. I'm already paying for unlimited data plan. WTF?
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Me either, but they will. I had Bluetooth tethering for years on my old Nokia phone via GPRS/EDGE and never paid extra. I'm not sure why it's all of a sudden a "plan feature."
 
I don't know what the point of tethering is if it costs extra money, you might as well just get those little HSPDA dongles which are probably cheaper, you can get them in Pay & Go, and offer a full blown internet experience anywhere in the world. I don't think anyone would use tethering as their primary internet connection so there's no point in paying monthly for it.
 
I can only hope that Apple remove that stupid limiter from 3.1 that removed tethering for me although I own a perfectly legal unlocked 3GS and tethering is allowed by my carrier. This sucks big time!

I want to use tethering but Apple wont let me because of a carrier I dont use.. :-/
 
AT&T needs more than fine tuning.

In a major metro area with supposedly upgraded 3g capabilities, it is still hit and miss as to whether or not you can even load Google.com in the mobile browser. How can they expect something more complex to function?

Even making a simple phone call often requires cycling the iPhone off and back on to connect. Imagine trying that while trapped in a crashed car or as you watch your neighbor die of a heart attack. Rubbish.

To top that, I have paid my bill on time for the last 7 years to SunCom, then Cingular, and now AT&T. Yesterday I received a bill from a collector saying I owed AT&T over $800 and my service has been shut off. WTF? I just made a call to customer service (from the supposedly disconnected iPhone) and they knew nothing of it, but said they would not be able to call off the collection agency and I should just pay up? Hello?
 
My guess: AT&T is maneuvering either for the FCC to allow it to cap iPhone data plans (contrary to this administration's preference for 'net neutrality'), or for the government to allocate it more spectrum, or give them $$ for network upgrades. Or all of these.
 
So you can't already tether with unlimited data? AT&T is pathetic. Yet another reason why I have a Verizon phone and a Touch.
 
tjcampbell said:
If it's allowed. It should be free.
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Why on earth should it be free? You're "unlimited data" was for use on your iPhone! ...not your laptop when you're out and about or your home or business or who knows where else people will try and milk the network for all it's got.

I may be the only one but I don't want AT&T to offer tethering. Period. C'mon people, like every business hotel and airport has wi-fi now - as an iPhone owner I don't want to think of how slow my 3G will be once everybody is downloading episodes of Desperate Housewives over 3G. AT&T's 3G network cannot handle it and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I'm in Florida and the speed is fine here but how many of you who live in big cities (new york, chi, sf etc.) have been on here complaining about how your 3G feels like dial up due to network overload/saturation. Can you imagine what it's going to be like once every iPhone user starts hooking up their MacBook to the 3G network?
 
Beric said:
So you can't already tether with unlimited data? AT&T is pathetic. Yet another reason why I have a Verizon phone and a Touch.
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If AT&T keeps this up, 2011 is going to be an interesting phone choice. I'll leave the iPhone all togther and go to Blackberry. This is ridiculous. It's been 3 years and they are just now getting more capacity? WTF have they been doing for the last 3 years? They already said they've doubled capacity for me here in Houston in the last 1-2 months, so wtf is the hold up now?
 
j5045096 said:
Why on earth should it be free? You're "unlimited data" was for use on your iPhone! ...not your laptop when you're out and about or your home or business or who knows where else people will try and milk the network for all it's got.

I may be the only one but I don't want AT&T to offer tethering. Period. C'mon people, like every business hotel and airport has wi-fi now - as an iPhone owner I don't want to think of how slow my 3G will be once everybody is downloading episodes of Desperate Housewives over 3G. AT&T's 3G network cannot handle it and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I'm in Florida and the speed is fine here but how many of you who live in big cities (new york, chi, sf etc.) have been on here complaining about how your 3G feels like dial up due to network overload/saturation. Can you imagine what it's going to be like once every iPhone user starts hooking up their MacBook to the 3G network?
Click to expand...

You're not the only one. It's already tiresome seeing every other thread here and elsewhere bitching about AT&T's 3G network. I can just imagine the whining that would happen if tethering were commonplace. Oy.
 
...and for anyone who might argue that AT&T already offers this via their air cards ...true they run on the 3G network, but you have to basically sign up for another contract of service. It's not free, but rather expensive actually. When people have to pay even a cut of something it limits how many actually take advantage of it and that's a good thing. And because we don't have this in health care this is why health insurance pretty much sucks for all of us right now...because Jill Smith who's kids get a cold rushes to the doctor @ $200 a pop to the insurance company but hey, to her it's "FREE" - it's not insurance against catastrophic events, it's a health "payment plan".

Tethering should not be free for the iPhone. Period. This will bite us all in the butt later.
 
j5045096 said:
...and for anyone who might argue that AT&T already offers this via their air cards ...true they run on the 3G network, but you have to basically sign up for another contract of service. It's not free, but rather expensive actually. When people have to pay even a cut of something it limits how many actually take advantage of it and that's a good thing. And because we don't have this in health care this is why health insurance pretty much sucks for all of us right now...because Jill Smith who's kids get a cold rushes to the doctor @ $200 a pop to the insurance company but hey, to her it's "FREE" - it's not insurance against catastrophic events, it's a health "payment plan".

Tethering should not be free for the iPhone. Period. This will bite us all in the butt later.
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....AT&T has already shown that they'll just take are money and bank it. They've been banking on us for 3 years and they are just now putting it to use...I see no reason to give them more money to do something that they should have already been doing.
 
FelixDerKater said:
AT&T needs more than fine tuning.

In a major metro area with supposedly upgraded 3g capabilities, it is still hit and miss as to whether or not you can even load Google.com in the mobile browser. How can they expect something more complex to function?

Even making a simple phone call often requires cycling the iPhone off and back on to connect. Imagine trying that while trapped in a crashed car or as you watch your neighbor die of a heart attack. Rubbish.
Click to expand...

Yep, the iPhone has issues. Funny how I will often have these same problems, but they don't seem to happen when I pop the SIM in my E71.

FelixDerKater said:
To top that, I have paid my bill on time for the last 7 years to SunCom, then Cingular, and now AT&T. Yesterday I received a bill from a collector saying I owed AT&T over $800 and my service has been shut off. WTF? I just made a call to customer service (from the supposedly disconnected iPhone) and they knew nothing of it, but said they would not be able to call off the collection agency and I should just pay up? Hello?
Click to expand...

This sounds fishy. As in, I think there is more to the story than you have have told us.
 
j5045096 said:
C'mon people, like every business hotel and airport has wi-fi now
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It's probably ridiculously slow yes, but it's still better than an airport WiFi that asks you to type in your bank card number and billing address, then authenticate by SMS to get the same ultra-slow connection that disconnects every minute, when you only have 15 minutes until your plane leaves, and you just want to Skype to someone for 2 minutes, it's totally not worth the hassle!

Either way, on an airport, I always feel I have no way to contact the rest of the world: using my phone is extremely expensive as I probably call someone who is the another country, and the internet is just impossible to access!
 
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