AT&T Offers Video Update on iPhone MMS and Cellular Network Issues

[furi0usbee]

Too little, too late. I love the iPhone, I HATE at&t. I'm going to Verizon for $39.99 (they have a version of T-Mobile My Favs). I'll miss the iPhone, but it's not worth what at&t is charging me. Plus when Verizon gets them, I'll be all set with the largest coverage in the US.

My contract is up next month and on that day I'm calling at&t and telling them to cancel me.

 

[bigcrazyal]

Really Big Ears!

Really Really Really Big Ears!

 

[wonderbread57]

someone's starting to panic about losing their exclusivity contract. The time can't come soon enough if you ask me.

Yep, enough with the exclusivity already. Let the market accommodate the surge in data demand.

 

[aristotle]

Actually Europeans also have the iPhone and a lot of other easy to use smartphones. And I'd guess we are streaming cat videos from YouTube and twittering about our lives.

Define "easy to use". Define smartphone. A lot of what I see in the European market still use clunky UIs that i would call, half-smart phones. I never suggested that nobody does any of those things but you seem to think that Europe is culturally the same as America except that they speak a different language. Europeans have a different psychology. While they might have phones that can do a number of things, that does not mean that they actually use those features. I had a phone with a camera (krzr) but I never used the camera on it.

Even assuming that I'm completely wrong about what I just wrote and you are completely right, consider this for Europe:
1. Lower density.
2. Tower infrastructure shared by companies.
3. No competing CDMA technology in Europe that could cause interference.

I would suggest you all take a look at this page:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone1.htm

Cellphone networks are divided into a series of honeycomb "cells". Each cell has a finite capacity of users. You can increase capacity by using more than one frequency band to overlap more than one cell in an area but that only increases the capacity in that areas. People need to stop trying to use their cellphone access thinking that it is just like a wired ISP. It is not supposed to be used as your dedicated link. I don't care what country you are in or how good the infrastructure is, you will eventually run out of capacity if everyone started using it at the same time.

 

[Iori]

Did you expect the AT&T and Apple sales reps (bottom of the corporate ladder, working on commission) to tell the customers "here, buy this iPhone but since our service coverage is insufficient in your area, you are going to have unreliable service"? Good luck selling phones that way. Do you think Verizon reps would have told their customers the same, in areas where their coverage lacks?

Um, I am aware that the sales reps have nothing to do with the unreliable service. As I stated before, I live in downtown San Francisco. If you check the "coverage map" in the ATT site, you will see that there shouldn't be no coverage lacks. I have called ATT regarding this issue, yet they keep telling me that the coverage isn't a problem. But my phone still says "searching" on top. I tried contacting them and they don't explain to me what the problem is. That is the "lack of communication" that I mentioned earlier.

My frustration is, "why can't I make a bloody phone call from my own home?" 😡

 

[TalonFlyer]

You have to be kidding . . .

What a lame response to major issues. What, networking 101 is there response! Originally, Apple went with Cingular and as I understand AT&T then help 50% of that company. Then AT&T acquired all of Cingular thereby inheriting the exclusive contract with Apple. You can't tell me that the wireless carriers didn't not know Apple's cellular production projections every step of the way. Every iPhone is required to have an unlimited data plan. You don't think that there was not a room full of statisticians crunching the numbers on network capacity.

Everyone should have known well in advance what the impact would be to the network. AT&T over promised and under delivered to save a few bucks. There is a cultural mentality at work inside AT&T that has been there for years. Once a wonderful company now riddled with outdated systems, poor management and no regard for customers. I have a 20 year history with AT&T at all business levels and the problems are the same. They actually straight out lie to you on the phone, go ahead and try to prove anything they say. They are the 1600 pound gorilla and the customer never wins.

My iPhone is a excellent product. The AT&T service is horrible and I have not received what I paid for. Dropped calls, slow data 90% of the time and one of the most expensive mobile plans out there. Two year without MMS, tethering, stable calls and data throughput anywhere near spec.

MMS, a little late and not much fanfare. What about tethering, what about dropped calls. What about paying your wireless bill in cash and not getting a fee because you paid cash. I used to joke about this and now with AT&T the joke is on me.

Apple often makes good decisions. While it appears that they were wrong in this case, I would suspect that they were also sold a bill of goods with Cingular and AT&T about what and when they could deliver.

I for one think there should be a class action lawsuit filed against AT&T for breach of contract relating to service, or lack thereof. Any aggressive lawyers out there willing to take it on? Sign me up and I'll be in front of the line.

How about this, just get Autonet (AutoNetMobile.com) for you car and use Skype from the iPhone. Not a perfect solution, but you would save 60%.

You see, all our ranting still does nothing and for the blogger geek saying they are listening, just one more case of them lying to your virtual face.

A less than happy AT&T customer.

 

[NoExpectations]

For all you Verizon Lovers out there.....

....go buy your new blackberry and leave AT&T......more capacity for the rest of us and less crying that we have to read about.

I know that AT&T has had some local problems in the NY-NJ and San Fran area....but everywhere else appears to be fine.

After AT&T upgrades their network, do you really think that Verizon's network is going to be better? Verizon is stuck on 20th century technology (CDMA). Anyone who thinks that they will have a 4G network rolled out nationally by mid 2010 is living in a dream world.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

Dear Apple and AT&T,

When will the iPhone 2G support MMS?
When will there be 3G service in rural areas?
When will there be decent service (2 or 3G) at my office, which is on the main thoroughfare of a small town?
Why is it that, if I want an iPhone 3G, I have to sign up for the more expensive 3G data plan, even though there is no 3G service in my area?
Why is Apple still with AT&T, when it appears that Verizon provides superior coverage on the whole?

Regards,
segfaultdotorg

 

[donlphi]

Seth then addresses the broader investments AT&T has made in its network, totaling $38 billion over the past two years, to increase capacity and deploy coverage based on the 3g-coverage-improvements-in-new-york-city-and-other-markets 850 MHz spectrum, which offers improved capacity and in-building coverage.

One thing Seth forgot to mention was how AT&T is going to pass that cost along to their existing customers.

Here is how the script MIGHT have looked...

SETH: And for only $40 a month, you will be able to share video, voice memos, and pictures with your friends and family. Enjoy [insert cheesy smile & more blank stare]

On a side note... It would be interesting if AT&T made standard text messaging free and only charged for MMS only. I could deal with that. Unfortunately it won't happen.

 

[compuguy1088]

"We have heard you. We are on it. Don't ask us anymore about it." 😀

No... that doesn't suck... that's awesome.... for you. What sucks is NOT getting 3G for at least 2 years, which is what AT&T told me a few days ago when I called to find out when I was going to be out of the 9th EDGE of Cell Hell.

Personally I've been using a 2g phone with edge for the past 2 years. It isn't too bad, though recently it seems they are allocating more bandwidth towards HSPDA traffic. (Washington D.C. area)

 

[compuguy1088]

Um, I am aware that the sales reps have nothing to do with the unreliable service. As I stated before, I live in downtown San Francisco. If you check the "coverage map" in the ATT site, you will see that there shouldn't be no coverage lacks. I have called ATT regarding this issue, yet they keep telling me that the coverage isn't a problem. But my phone still says "searching" on top. I tried contacting them and they don't explain to me what the problem is. That is the "lack of communication" that I mentioned earlier.

My frustration is, "why can't I make a bloody phone call from my own home?" 😡

I would guess, that the area you are in IS COVERED, but overloaded. If there are not enought slots in your "cell" the phone will either grab onto a weaker signal (a tower farther away, for example), or have no signal. I saw this when I was at a World Series game last year. My iphone only had two bars, and could not even make a call. A few weeks ago I went to a game at that same stadium, I had nearly full bars, and no trouble making calls. This is an example where the provider has coverage, but not enough slots for everyone to connect (aka. network overload).

 

[Neotyguy40]

There HAS to be a a reason for Apple to go with AT&T instead of Verizon...

Verizon would've known that the iPhone would be extremely successful, and I bet they would've taken it in.

I just don't understand, what would be so bad about Verizon that Apple goes with AT&T?

 

[compuguy1088]

There HAS to be a a reason for Apple to go with AT&T instead of Verizon...

Verizon would've known that the iPhone would be extremely successful, and I bet they would've taken it in.

I just don't understand, what would be so bad about Verizon that Apple goes with AT&T?

I bet if they went with verizon, they would be experiencing the same problems as AT&T. IF they went with t-mobile, *laughs* they would of been down a river with no paddle!

Note: I should note that coverage is great with AT&T in my neighborhood, but really atrocious with Verizon (one bar compared to 5 bars!).

 

[ppdix]

Seth, you look surprised... Close your eyes a little, Seth

😱

 

[onfire4g05]

How is spending $17 Billion sucking? I want to see how much Verizon or T-Mobile has spent.

Sprint doesn't count on the fact that their network is near nada in many areas (you have to roam) and there network works because people are fleeing in an Exodus.

Instead of investing money in 3G, which is becoming a dated technology, Verizon has decided to spend that money on their new 4G network which is supposedly supposed to be ready next year in places.

And I've been with Verizion for just over a year, and while everyone complains about not getting any reception at my work and having dropped calls all the time while on AT&T, I've been happily on Verizion without such issues. Moreover, these people only have basic phone without data or anything else. I'd take Verizon over AT&T any day after all the junk I've heard about AT&T and their horrible service. Who cares if I have an iPhone if I can't even use it in 50% of the places I want to use or the reception is bad.

If Verizon doesn't get the iPhone next year I've thought about switching to AT&T (my contract with Verizon will be over then), but since I've heard everyone complaining about their bad service and seen it firsthand, I won't be switching -- EVEN if it magically get's better between now and then. Unless Verizon's service suddenly becomes bad (which I honestly doubt), I won't be switching anytime in the next 3+ years -- iPhone or not.

 

[Thunder82]

If Verizon doesn't get the iPhone next year I've thought about switching to AT&T

I understand people have dreams, but you Verizon people have pretty lofty ones if you think a CDMA iPhone will ever be released. In 5 years, when Verizons LTE network is completely built-out, then maybe you'll see something.

 

[island]

No AT&T issues on my end - Fairfield County, CT - Full 3G everywhere

 

[michael31986]

i live in NJ and i will admit that when i got the 3G iphone last summer 3G was very shady, but now its great and i very very rarely get dropped calls. Also iphone will not go to Verizon until they go to 4G lte or w/e its called. apple will not make just one type of phone a cdma for verizon, when the rest of the world is using the same gsm iphones.

 

[andy721]

Conclusion of this thread

AT&T will crash when September 25th comes, but they already rolled out the MMS do that jailbreak MMS wap setting trick, give it a try now and you'll see what I mean. If not then they haven't got to your account yet.

 

[hfletcher]

I feel sorry for all you at&t customers... I don't know how bad it really is but from all the forum posts it seems like a dire situation.
Here in the UK o2 seem to have everything sorted. No 3G problems or anything like that, not that i've come across anyway. But in the majority of places we have less density of users because we don't have many huge cities (apart from London, etc). But for anyone to say that we have 'crippled smartphones' in europe, people use them all the time, and I bet that we use just as much data per iPhone as you do in the US..

 

[butterfly0fdoom]

Instead of investing money in 3G, which is becoming a dated technology, Verizon has decided to spend that money on their new 4G network which is supposedly supposed to be ready next year in places.

Again, (this statement validated by someone else) Verizon could get 3G rolled out more quickly at a lower cost because EV-DO is a modification of CDMA2000; AT&T and T-Mobile were later to the game because UTMS has to be deployed alongside GSM. In turn, Verizon can focus on getting 4G out earlier than AT&T and T-Mobile can. But 3G is hardly outdated; Ericsson is still developing extensions of EDGE (which is a 2.5G technology). And if you think Verizon's 4G network is going to be as widespread and reliable as their 2G/3G network, you're horribly mistaken.

 

[psingh01]

Can't blame AT&T for sucking, the problem is the exclusive contract they have. The only people that like are Apple and AT&T. It's never in the interest of the consumer and this is why.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

The alien-puppeteer who's pulling this corpses strings needs to find the one that controls the eyebrows and neck. And give that thing a haircut. And quit bumping the string for the dangling hand, cause it's unsettling. This guy is the creepiest mofo I've seen chosen to represent a giant, faceless corporation, and that puts him in the running for creepiest mofo I have ever seen ever. Holy ****!

And nice excuse AT&T. "We WOULD do it, but it's just so much, like, you know, work. It's much more profitable to bill you top dollar, and provide you with weak or incomplete service for as long as possible til someone actually sues us over it."

This is the last AT&T contract I will ever sign.

 

[TXCraig]

If AT&T's network is so bogged down with smart phones using all that data, why is every other commercial on TV is that guy hawking the AT&T broadband network card? Shouldn't they STOP taking on new customers and get their network upgraded BEFORE adding anymore 3G data customers? Especially laptop network cards?

 

[Bubba Satori]

There HAS to be a a reason for Apple to go with AT&T instead of Verizon...

Verizon would've known that the iPhone would be extremely successful, and I bet they would've taken it in.

I just don't understand, what would be so bad about Verizon that Apple goes with AT&T?

AT&T was willing to bend over more to be associated with the slim and hip of the world.