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AT&T On Track for Femtocell Deployment By End of 2009

jholzner said:
Wow...so ATT is going to let me pay to make their crappy service better? Gee, thanks.
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I don't think this service is intended for 99% of of the population. I think this service is intended for the 1% of the population that live in such remote areas that they do not have a cell phone tower anywhere near them, and for people that live (or work) in basements of buildings and in urban locations where the geography of buildings is blocking them from cell phone reception. Yes, all of these people could use a land line, but maybe they want to use their cell phone (for obvious reasons; contacts, caller id, lists missed calls, voice mail, texting, etc, and it's all on the device they can walk out the door and go somewhere with).
 
iSee said:
What, exactly, does that mean?

5000 square feet is equivalent to a circle with a 40 foot radius. So will these have a range of about 40'?
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my house is 4200 Square feet (3 floor home including "basement)

so its about the size of a home

so with that number their Microcell should cover your entire home and yard and somewhat into your neighbours yard / house
 
Someone probably already posted this but here goes:

You have got to be KIDDING me if you think I am going to pay ANY MORE MONEY because your network sucks AT$T.

Sorry-but this is a crock-just like tethering. What, because you are going to tether you have to pay yet ANOTHER $30 month. I have never exceeded 1 GB data on my iphone and this includes the occasional unofficial tether.

AT$T should build a network that doesn't require me allowing them to use my broadband, which I PAY FOR. That being said, the idea is nice, just don't charge me for it. I am already paying AT$T and Comca$T serious bucks each month. And, at least in AT$T's case, paying for a network not quite up to par.
 
Enigmafan420 said:
Someone probably already posted this but here goes:

You have got to be KIDDING me if you think I am going to pay ANY MORE MONEY because your network sucks AT$T.

Sorry-but this is a crock-just like tethering. What, because you are going to tether you have to pay yet ANOTHER $30 month. I have never exceeded 1 GB data on my iphone and this includes the occasional unofficial tether.

AT$T should build a network that doesn't require me allowing them to use my broadband, which I PAY FOR. That being said, the idea is nice, just don't charge me for it. I am already paying AT$T and Comca$T serious bucks each month. And, at least in AT$T's case, paying for a network not quite up to par.
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In some cases, it's not a lack of the carrier wanting to extend service in an area, it's finding a place where a new tower can be erected. We are just about to move into a new house, and the reception there is so-so to non-existent at times. Speaking to a neighbor, they tried to have another tower erected in town, but the residents near the proposed location shot it down since they didn't want it there. What do you do then? I am eager to have this as an option to get good reception in our house, though I don't think I would pay any additional monthly charges for something like this. If it is a one time fee to purchase the device, then I may go for it.
 
I love how...

people think this is a great idea. I'm AT&T. My network fuggin SUCKS!!!
I have the solution! Let's make customers pay for devices to help build out our network! We win twice! God, come on folks. If the carrier is such **** you have to PAY them to build out THEIR network something is seriously, seriously, SERIOUSLY wrong.
 
I don't get it, either. They expect me to pay $250 for one of their boxes, so that AT&T can use my broadband connection that I pay for in order to route the phone calls that it charges me for? Wouldn't it be easier to use a landline or Skype phone at home?
 
theBB said:
I don't get it, either. They expect me to pay $250 for one of their boxes, so that AT&T can use my broadband connection that I pay for in order to route the phone calls that it charges me for? Wouldn't it be easier to use a landline or Skype phone at home?
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I know. This whole thing just feels very wrong. We are paying AT$T to use something we already pay for, just because AT$T's isn't willing to pay to upgrade their own network. When is this insanity going to end. And people are welcoming this. I would just love to have these peoples' business.

MacRumors said:
Confirmation of plans for a full public launch of the service in 2009, however, will be welcome news for iPhone users suffering from poor reception in their homes.
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Actually, thinking about it some more, if someone is stupid enough to pay for a service that doesn't even work in their very own homes, I guess they would be stupid enough to pay for it 2 more times (for the unit and again for their broadband). These people deserve to be taken advantage of.
 
Hold on....

How does ATT sell the idea of customers paying to build the cellular network they're already paying to use?

With ATT's new slogans:
No, YOU raise the bar!
More bars, if you just put your back into it.
Reach out and hold up this antenna for us. (reach out and touch someone)

I've gotta go...you guys come up with some more....
 
More bars in fewer places where you actually need them. That should be AT&T's slogan.
 
This is getting outrageous!

Is is really possible for AT&T to charge customers even more money?
Are people prepared to pay for an iPhone what is approaching a vehicle lease payment. Turn-by-turn navigation, Internet access and now femtocell? If necessary, one could live in a car -- but a phone?
 
Who the hell do they think they are? "Hey, our coverage sucks, so how about you pay to make it better? Oh, and by the way, can we use your bandwidth?" I wonder if they are giving a percentage of the money to your ISP. Still seems lame to charge for it.
 
mozmac said:
Who the hell do they think they are? "Hey, our coverage sucks, so how about you pay to make it better? Oh, and by the way, can we use your bandwidth?" I wonder if they are giving a percentage of the money to your ISP. Still seems lame to charge for it.
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You make it sound like they're the first wireless provider to do this in the states... Verizon and Sprint already offer similar devices.
 
These are a nice option

My dad lives out in the sticks of Connecticut. I bought him a Sprint Airave. He set it up himself in 5 minutes. The Airave is on the Second floor and he can use his sprint phone anywhere on the first two floors ( I don't know about the basement) Sprint charges 3$ a month to use it with minutes applied to use (you can pay more and not have minutes deducted, but since Sprint to Sprint is free minutes its no big deal for me) It works great.

The one thing that some Sprint users are not happy with is that it does not provide the phone with data, just voice and text. But you get data from your home network I figure.
 
I for one am looking forward to them getting one. I am on all cell phones at this point, and I live in a Stone House with 18" thick walls.

I would prefer a (reasonable)one time fee, since as others have noted, I will be putting bandwidth on another company because of AT&Ts incomplete penetration in my home. However, not dropping important calls because of the still-not-fixed 2G/3G handoff will sure help.

Even better would be a way to disable 3G voice in certain places. Especially the home where I always have a computer handy...
 
I was actually just selected for the trial of this product. I get it in about a week, I get to use it for a month, my minutes using it are free, i get to keep it after the trial, i get 100 bucks for doing it. Really could care less about the minutes, i roll over ridic amounts every month anyways, but i cant wait to test it.

Although its (AT&T) the BEST service ive EVER had, I live in a hole. I have verizon work phone and it is crap too. you people bitching about service, i dont know where you live but it is rare that i have any less than 4 bars. I even went on a cruise this past spring and had full 3G service on the US Virgin Islands! i work in a skyscraper, my work phone (verizon) is dead 35 floors up. I have full AT&T throughout, except the basement, which i wouldnt expect to have service.

In a perfect world, there wouldnt even be "bars". Unfortunately, it is still a CELL PHONE. Its not a landline, nor will it ever be. AT&T would hope you understood this, but they want to help even for those shortcomings. So while you all are sitting here flaming AT&T on the internet, I will be enjoying full service almost everywhere i am now. :cool:
 
WeirdBal said:
In some cases, it's not a lack of the carrier wanting to extend service in an area, it's finding a place where a new tower can be erected. We are just about to move into a new house, and the reception there is so-so to non-existent at times. Speaking to a neighbor, they tried to have another tower erected in town, but the residents near the proposed location shot it down since they didn't want it there. What do you do then? I am eager to have this as an option to get good reception in our house, though I don't think I would pay any additional monthly charges for something like this. If it is a one time fee to purchase the device, then I may go for it.
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You should contact AT&T and tell them they can put the full cell tower in your backyard. All of the cell phone carriers pay royalties (rental fee) to the land owners for every cell tower. (ahh! that's another expenditure for AT&T and where part of your cell phone bill goes - nationwide network and each antenna requires a rental fee lease agreement) In an urban area, like New York city, they have millions of people sharing those antennas, but if you live on a farm in "the middle of nowhere" along a major highway, then at any given moment the maximum number of people using a given antenna is likely only five or so. But along a major interstate highway that runs along hundreds of miles of farm fields, those antennas have to be paid for by the rest of us. When AT&T started pushing the "Nationwide" plan for cell phone service, they knew what they were doing. They were getting the people in urban cities to help pay for the millions of antennas that stand in corn fields in the Mid West, and in the desert in the South West. My guess as to the rental fee you could get ... maybe $100 a month, but I really don't know. It's only a guess.
 
they should be paying us to use this to get off their network. There is no way I am going to be paying for this when they are supposed to be providing a service. I could understand paying for the hardware but it is using the existing broadband its nothing more than a voip switch..
 
No to Subscription Model

I haven't read every post on this thread, but I'm sure it's crossed people's thoughts. Why would I pay AT&T a subscription model for this new technology if I'm tapping into my ISP's bandwidth that I've already paid for? It's like paying to use the same bandwidth twice.

But I'm sure the bandwidth used to boost your cell signal is neglible, depending on the monthly minutes usage.
 
Wow, this has been interesting seeing what some folks expect from a cellular carrier. I live out in the country. I believe that if you don't pass cows on the way to work, you just don't live far enough away from town. I am on the fring e of service for every single cellular company (att, sprint, verizon doesn't even work here). I can easily use my phone outdoors, but my 5300 sqft house seems to be a nearly perfect faraday cage. Once I walk inside, I lose all signal. Right now I'm using a cellular booster that is a bit flaky. This microcell device is the answer to my problem and I don't personally have a problem paying a one time fee to purchase it.

I can't expect ATT to build a cell tower out in the boondocks for the 50-60 of us that are out here. It costs tens of thousands of dollars to put in a new tower. Like most cellular companies, they don't guarantee in building coverage, check your contracts. Anybody who expects a cellular company to provide blanket coverage that can penetrate any building is just expecting too much. I've been very impressed with some of the things these companies have done (i.e. putting antennas in tunnels, putting repeaters in large public use buildings, deploying mobile repeaters to events) to improve coverage at their own expense. I choose to live out in the boonies so as a result, I recognize that I'll have to pay a bit more for certain things like gas, internet, and in this case, cell service.

I think that $250 is reasonable for this device considering my Wilson amplifier setup was over $500 and I still have to stand near my laundry room to use it. Now, if they try to charge me a monthly fee, we're going to have problems...
 
johnntd said:
I do think ATT should take off a $10 per month of our wireless bill because we off load ourselves into our broadband networks. It makes every sense if they ask me.
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I agree, my service is so bad where i live, in central Los Angeles (Bel Air), that if i have to pay extra just to use my cell phones I am going to be unhappy.

The real reason why this is good is AT&T's crappy coverage in some areas. sorry.. its the truth. Just silly that AT&T may overcharge consumers just so they can get their cell phones working properly.

also, if i get one of these. i'd like to have a function that we can open up cell phone coverage at my house to guests who visit. why should i have to enter the IMEI code for each phone for it to work on the system? im not in an apt building so i aint too worried about my neighbors.
 
nozebleed said:
I was actually just selected for the trial of this product. I get it in about a week, I get to use it for a month, my minutes using it are free, i get to keep it after the trial, i get 100 bucks for doing it.
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I thought that the trials had already begun? How did you get on the 'list'?
 
Diode said:
The GPS serves two purposes:

1. Limits it's use to where AT&T has service ... IE no bringing it over sea's with you to make calls home (Boooooo)
2. Allows your phone to use cell-tower assistance for the GPS (very cool) ... IE your A-GPS.
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i'm sure it also helps with E911 :)
 
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