They forgot to explain the part where they are the only network that has needed 3 extra months to prepare for mms.
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AT&T Offers Video Update on iPhone MMS and Cellular Network Issues
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I have said this a few times i dont have an iphone. I am not even in America but to send a picture it takes 2 years to get it ready. Lead the industry into the future i think by the looks and sounds of things some one else needs to lead at&t. I maybe using a nokia n95 but at least i can send mms use the net and make phone calls without the fear of blocking the freeway. Oh well iam sure you will get everything every other smart phone has in a few years i wish iphone users the best of luck
well i'm glad they are working on it, but i bet their network will still get hammered on the 25th
I call BS
I've been sending MMS messages from my other AT&T phones without problems... Why would they need to "calibrate base stations all over the country" in order to allow the iPhone to send MMS messages?
On top of that, since I can't MMS, I email. I think for the majority of iphone users the amount of bandwidth used will not change at all.
I've been sending MMS messages from my other AT&T phones without problems... Why would they need to "calibrate base stations all over the country" in order to allow the iPhone to send MMS messages?
On top of that, since I can't MMS, I email. I think for the majority of iphone users the amount of bandwidth used will not change at all.
Obviously it works for you. Mainly because you are among a select few that has MMS enabled. However, take into consideration the fact that when MMS is enabled, that MMS traffic will increase.
That increase is what they are preparing for. If it takes time to prepare talk to your local county office that deals with communications as they make every carrier/cable company/electric company go through a hassle just to put an extra cable.
This is the best they can do with $38 BILLION? Are you serious?! 19 billion a year and they can't provide MMS and tethering? What a joke!!
god, stop whining about the spokesman. Who cares. I see this story as positive for two reasons:
1) $38b is a lot of money to spend on network upgrades. Say what you want about how far they still have to go, but they are trying, and that's encouraging.
2) Transparency is good. I like it when companies that I give my money to explain what they are doing with that money and how they plan to improve their goods/services in the future. Obviously this only goes so far - at some point they have to deliver. But this is still good.
1) $38b is a lot of money to spend on network upgrades. Say what you want about how far they still have to go, but they are trying, and that's encouraging.
2) Transparency is good. I like it when companies that I give my money to explain what they are doing with that money and how they plan to improve their goods/services in the future. Obviously this only goes so far - at some point they have to deliver. But this is still good.
I would love for AT&T to lose their stronghold on the iPhone. If merely for competition purposes. They are slacking because they are going to ride the Apple train despite how slow they are with support.
Put caps on monthly bandwidth to a reasonable level like 6GB and people will start thinking about what they are doing rather than having the attitude that unlimited data means that you can get rid of your ISP at home and tether or stream Youtube all day. The caps are part of the reason why Rogers and Fido have a responsive network even with iPhones on the network.
If you need an ISP, get a wired one for your home and a wireless router.
There is only so much that they can do to increase capacity through additional towers and alternate frequency bands. There is a limit to the amount of data and users a single tower can support. This applies equally for both GSM and CDMA technologies.
Some of you might want to point out that Verizon is not having problems at the moment but that is because they have crappy phones that are locked down to use their own services and may have features disabled entirely. If they had a device like the iPhone, they would have similar issues in areas with a high concentration of users with that phone.
Blackberry phones are quite limited in what APIs they offer and are often locked down by the wireless providers. Most BB users just text and email because the browser on BBs has been atrocious in the past.
If you need an ISP, get a wired one for your home and a wireless router.
There is only so much that they can do to increase capacity through additional towers and alternate frequency bands. There is a limit to the amount of data and users a single tower can support. This applies equally for both GSM and CDMA technologies.
Some of you might want to point out that Verizon is not having problems at the moment but that is because they have crappy phones that are locked down to use their own services and may have features disabled entirely. If they had a device like the iPhone, they would have similar issues in areas with a high concentration of users with that phone.
Blackberry phones are quite limited in what APIs they offer and are often locked down by the wireless providers. Most BB users just text and email because the browser on BBs has been atrocious in the past.
But thats my point.. MMS traffic may increase, but email traffic will decrease. Its all data in the end, isn't it?
ATT is killing the iphone, also they need to have some other data options, like a 2gb plan or something. I would use a lot less data if they didn't charge me $30 per month, but I make a point out of using the crap out of my iphone because att charges me so much.
Double ditto lol!
Just shut up and give me my MMS AT&T!
P.S. AT&T has already said that MMS will not add any additional charges right?
Yeah, he looks ... crazy.
I like what they are saying, whether they deliver or not is a different story.
From my point of view, I don't care what the guy looked like, but the fact is I felt they were being honest.
I can vouch that AT&T is working on towers for two reasons.
First, my brother lives in Iowa and got rid of his iPhone because it was crap in Nov 2008. Now he just picked up the 3gs and it works perfectly with 100% signal.
Second, I moved to an area that has maybe 1 bar of AT&T service and I knew this going into my new contract. Fact is I use the iPhone as a lounge chair internet, remote Sonos and Apple TV and several other things as well as a cell phone when I am not at home. I have received two emails from AT&T saying new towers were put in a in my area. Although they don't quite reach my house yet, when I drive a few miles up the road I now have 100% 3g, so they are working on new and apparently existing towers.
Would I switch from AT&T to a new provider if the iPhone was on say verizon (only carrier that works in my area), yes unless AT&T continues to expand and puts a tower up outside my house.
I can vouch that AT&T is working on towers for two reasons.
First, my brother lives in Iowa and got rid of his iPhone because it was crap in Nov 2008. Now he just picked up the 3gs and it works perfectly with 100% signal.
Second, I moved to an area that has maybe 1 bar of AT&T service and I knew this going into my new contract. Fact is I use the iPhone as a lounge chair internet, remote Sonos and Apple TV and several other things as well as a cell phone when I am not at home. I have received two emails from AT&T saying new towers were put in a in my area. Although they don't quite reach my house yet, when I drive a few miles up the road I now have 100% 3g, so they are working on new and apparently existing towers.
Would I switch from AT&T to a new provider if the iPhone was on say verizon (only carrier that works in my area), yes unless AT&T continues to expand and puts a tower up outside my house.
Class Action Lawsuit Against AT&T!
What AT&T is admitting is that they didn't have the capability to service the data demand when they entered into their contract with Apple. They failed to deliver the service levels they sold and marketed to customers because they knew or should have known that their network was incapable of delivering what they were promising customers. That's fraud on such a large scale that only a class action lawsuit can remedy all the plaintiffs.
AT&T might argue that the demand was too speculative for the initial release of the 1G iPhone, but by 2G and 3Gs version releases, they definitely knew or should have known they lacked the network capacity to deliver what they were advertising to customers.
AOL got sued in a class action for the very same thing in the 90s.
What AT&T is admitting is that they didn't have the capability to service the data demand when they entered into their contract with Apple. They failed to deliver the service levels they sold and marketed to customers because they knew or should have known that their network was incapable of delivering what they were promising customers. That's fraud on such a large scale that only a class action lawsuit can remedy all the plaintiffs.
AT&T might argue that the demand was too speculative for the initial release of the 1G iPhone, but by 2G and 3Gs version releases, they definitely knew or should have known they lacked the network capacity to deliver what they were advertising to customers.
AOL got sued in a class action for the very same thing in the 90s.
Did you see yesterday's NYT story about how an average iphone user uses ~10x the data as the average user of another smartphone? If that's right, it means that AT&T's ~9 million iphone customers is something like having 90 million blackberry (or whatever) users. Try putting 90 million new bb users on even verizon's almighty network and see what happens.
Don't get me wrong; I'm frustrated too. I get terrible 3G speeds (~400 kbps) in my office in downtown Boston and maybe 1 Mbps outside the building. But I think people need to realize the staggering and unprecedented magnitude of the challenge AT&T is facing.
For mostly better, but temporarily worse, the iphone has changed smartphone data use. And no, AT&T wasn't ready for it. (IMO, no other telecom would have been either.) But at least they acknowledge the problem and are throwing a big pile of money at it to start fixing it.
Yep. They are lazy because they can ride this train. I can't wait until next year when it opens up to other carriers.
Some things to consider here is the amount of users per square mile. In major metro areas I completely understand all this. Yes it does suck, but what is the alternative. Verizon? Sure ok, then try to take a Verizon phone across the world. doesn't work very well does it.
AT&T is dealing with the issue the best that they can. Though to their fault they could have started building out there network sooner, but like any business owner they were evaluating the cost and elected not to expand and now they pay.
AT&T is dealing with the issue the best that they can. Though to their fault they could have started building out there network sooner, but like any business owner they were evaluating the cost and elected not to expand and now they pay.
He said from his other AT&T phones....ie not iPhones. The point is that almost all phones are capable of sending MMS. What does MMS traffic have to do with iPhone? I would think people with non-iPhones are currently sending just as much MMS as the iPhone people will start sending. I don't understand how iPhone MMS traffic would be any greater. The customer would probably be sending just as many MMS if they didn't have an iPhone.
Right, because they will fix everything. /sarcasm
All that will do is make some lawyers rich and potentially increase your monthly bill.
If you want to improve the situation, lobby for cheaper capped data plans and for them to either get rid of the unlimited option or to charge double for it.