AT&T to Eventually Offer Tethering in the U.S.

[Revivalution]

Mass Exodus

I have been with AT&T and Cingular for years through all of the ups and downs. The iPhone has been the one item that has kept me with them all this time. The problems that are mentioned here are nothing more than the lack of competition. Not having there system up to par to meet the basic needs of MMS and then charging a ridiculous amount for tethering is by far a huge mistake on AT&T's part. If AT&T continues along these line they may mark my phones and all of my lines as gone as soon as another carrier can support the iPhone.

Please AT&T get with it.

 

[tshort]

They can't bulk update because MMS requires iPhone OS 3.0. If AT&T did a bunk update, and you hadn't done a software update, MMS messages sent to you might not be received, or might be garbage. Either way you can't have MMS until AFTER you upgrade to 3.0.

 

[twoodcc]

no way i'm paying $70 a month! on top of my voice plan?!

 

[slicecom]

Here is some new info on the Rogers Website. Way to go Rogers!!


Tethering Policy
Tethering is the use of your phone as a wireless modem to connect to the Internet from your computer. For a limited time, if you subscribe to a data option which includes at least 1GB of data transmission between June 8, 2009 and December 31, 2009, you may use tethering as part of the volume of data included in your option at no additional charge. Tethering cannot be used with data options of less than 1GB.

I'm so glad I'm on the 6GB data plan.

 

[kas23]

The problem is that AT$T has no financial reason to enable MMS for the iPhone. MMS is part of the text plans, which we are already paying for (if you have a plan). However, I doubt there is anyone out there who has no text plan but is waiting to start one up once MMS arrives. This is the big problem. AT$T already has our money. The only way they would likely listen to their customers is if we started to cancel our texting plans - which nobody will likely do. I see MMS finally arriving in mid-to-late Fall. Apple should use a firm hand to make them implement it.

 

[JimAtLaw]

Apple's implementation of MMS is different. It allows you to send pictures, video, audio files, text files, etc over the data network just like an e-mail attachment. That's a far cry from the crappy resolution pictures your 11-year-old cousin's $40 phone can do.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3g-s/messages.html#video

Most MMS-capable smart phones phones only send picture messages at around 640x480 or so. A lot of the cheap phones send picture messages at 352x288.

It's a network capacity and transcoding issue more than anything else.

Nonsense - poor excuse making for Apple, and the "Apple implementation of MMS" has been NO MMS. The iPhone FAILS TO IMPLEMENT a standard feature of virtually every other phone on the market, one used on a daily basis by literally tens if not hundreds of millions of people - don't tell me the iPhone is great comparatively because it can send other things using email, to users receiving these messages on computers or other iPhones, because that's NOT MMS.

And now they're releasing the third generation of the phone and it still doesn't ship with this feature? (Don't tell me it's in there - if it doesn't work in the U.S., it doesn't work for the majority of iPhone users - Apple selected an exclusive provider and the features of the network are the ones they contracted for.) And people are making excuses for AT&pple? Astounding.

 

[El Magnificante]

Been paying $175/mo to AT&T and have been thinking of leaving but was waiting to see what the new iPhone would offer. Not much for an AT&T customer at this point.

Goodbye AT&T.

 

[DarkJaye]

I'm so glad I'm on the 6GB data plan.

Yeah, until they start charging for tethering in 2010. I can't believe over the course of this year alone Rogers has given up all the slight advantages they had over competing canadian CDMA networks and US networks in terms of data and messaging.

Now they're just like everyone else, with crappier rates, 3 year contracts, and 2 year HUPs. I went from thinking they were an OK network to thinking the competition can't arrive soon enough.

edit: Also, I'm not sure why the poster you quoted is saying "Way to go rogers!". Their previous policy was every data plan included tethering by default. They're now making their policy worse.

 

[kas23]

Unless AT&T has their hands clamping Apple's balls I would think Apple can get out of the contract based on the fact that AT&T hasn't met it's end of the deal. It's been 2 years and AT&T has been the weak link with a failing network.

This would likely lead to a lengthy court battle though.

Okay, let me get this straight. AT&T has known since March that Apple was making MMS available, yet they haven't had enough time to "manually batch-update their databases"? Come on, what a crock of ****! How hard is it to enable MMS. So now we've waited 2 years to finally get MMS from Apple only to have to wait on AT&T to get their **** together! What a complete joke AT&T is. I was pulling for them to keep the iPhone contract, but if it means they will take their own sweet time rolling out something simple as MMS and upgrading their networks to allow the full potential of the iPhone, then bring on the other service providers. AT&T's network has already ruined great apps like SKYPE and Sling. You're only as strong as your weakest link and Apple's weakest link now is AT&T. **** you AT&T!

Apple should ****ing manually downgrade them!

 

[HD303]

AT&T: We Don't Care, We Don't Have To!

 

[DELLsFan]

Are we really to believe that AT&T can't batch-update their databases, that they have to update each account manually?

Oh give them a break! There's only so much they can do with the small amount of revenue they get from text messaging, data plans, voice plans, and upgrade fees. It's a recession and that exclusivity agreement is expiring soon, don't you know?

 

[Andronicus]

BAN AT&T & THE iPHONE!!!!



Not really, this frustrates me too, but I will still be upgrading from my 1st Gen to the 32GB Black iPhone. I will also give AT&T all the money they want and they know this...

 

[Eso]

AT&T is the holdup. they obviously are not ready for the increased bandwidth.

Increased bandwidth?! They have 77 million wireless customers! As of now, 77 million - 10 million iPhones can send MMS messages. Bandwidth for MMS messages is not the problem.

 

[supmango]

+1

Unhappy AT&T customers need to start emailing Apple and the FCC to push for other carriers. The EU has already opened the door to allow competition, why do the policies here in the USA have to suck so bad?

I can only hope the rumors of Verizon turn out to be true.

Already have, repeatedly. No one cares it seems. I would love to get the new iPhone, but I really have absolutely no intention of continuing with ATT. Contract is up next month with my iPhone 2G and my wife's is up in 1 year. I will not be continuing service after that point, iPhone or not. Let's hope Apple listens and opens up to other carriers.

 

[supmango]

It is also interesting that there was no ATT exec on hand this year. Obviously they are embarrassed by the fact that they can't (or won't) get their act together.

 

[iphones4evry1]

Boy Genius[/url] also has heard that tethering is in the works but suggests it could be included into a $70/month Unlimited Data + Tethering plan.

Does that imply that the non-tethering plan will be reduced to below $70/month?
And when my 2yr contract expires, will my monthly fee decrease?

 

[rstansby]

Already have, repeatedly. No one cares it seems. I would love to get the new iPhone, but I really have absolutely no intention of continuing with ATT. Contract is up next month with my iPhone 2G and my wife's is up in 1 year. I will not be continuing service after that point, iPhone or not. Let's hope Apple listens and opens up to other carriers.

I didn't think the 2g was sold with a contract. Are you in the US? I bought my 2g in september of 2007 and I have no contract.

 

[Doctor Q]

Oh give them a break! There's only so much they can do with the small amount of revenue they get from text messaging, data plans, voice plans, and upgrade fees. It's a recession and that exclusivity agreement is expiring soon, don't you know?

You're right. What was I thinking? I'm going to write them a check as a a donation, just so they can stay afloat.

 

[rstansby]

Does that imply that the non-tethering plan will be reduced to below $70/month?
And when my 2yr contract expires, will my monthly fee decrease?

The data plan for the iPhone 3G is $30, plus voice plan.
This rumor states that the data plan for tethering might go up to $70/month. It is a rumor, and there is no reason to assume it is true.

 

[jpine]

I doubt Apple had a chance. You are born either an iPhone person or a Blackberry person. It's hardwired. I, for one, couldn't bear using a Blackberry. It has never even tempted me -- before the iPhone I had a series of Palm OS based phones. The iPhone is the natural successor to the smartphone kingdom. Blackberry wasn't originally a smartphone, but rather a push- messaging phone. Even now they have small screens except for the hapless Storm.

BTW where did this myth that Verizon is a joy to do business with come from anyway. I've been with all 4 major U.S. cell carriers and they are all miserable somewhere in the country and all have customer service based in the basement of a federal penitentiary.

I know it is not the same. The Blackberry is a poor second choice for me. I really wanted tetherable iPhone(s) for my clinic. I personally found the Strom so frustrating to use that I felt like throwing it against the wall while playing with it in the Verizon store. And while Verizon is a royal pain in several parts of one's anatomy, the coverage is good in my part of CA. For me, it is the ATT issue and not a preference for Blackberry or the Blackberry experience. I may yet get 3 current versions of iPhone for cheap and eat the cost of a couple Verizon USB laptop plans.

 

[iphones4evry1]

I like your skepticism. There's no way in HELL that's right. IMO this is a network capacity issue - they don't want to enable either MMS or tethering until adding more capacity to a network already laboring under the strain of 15 million iphone users.

Also, $40/mo for tethering?? Gime me a friggin break. And I'm one of the few who has always defended AT&T - I've had very good coverage and very few dropped calls in two years with them. But $40/month for tethering is flat-out ridiculous.

I agree. I'm sure it's costing AT&T a pretty penny to double the rate of data connection for every annetenae nation-wide! But still, with MILLIONS of Americans paying at least $39.99 per month for cell phone service, and smart phone users paying near $100 per month for their text messaging plans and all, AT&T has PLENTY of money to fund new network upgrades. Personally, I would rather pay Apple more for the phone and pay AT&T less per month. A friend of mine was telling me the other day that with her family plan, she gets unlimited data and texting from Tmobile for $15 per month (as an add-on to her family). I thought: what???? Only $15!!! And I'm paying about $95 per month for my data+text to AT&T ?????
I think AT&T needs to take a look at what other cell phone service providers are charging. It's less. A lot less.

 

[ShiftyPig]

I hope that whenever the exclusive agreement is over, Apple absolutely f***s AT&T in some manner.

 

[Peace]

This is going to be a media nightmare for AT&T. Great fodder for the blogs and the headline news. NO Frackin MMS on the iPhone in the USA until September ( or longer ) when the rest of the world has it already.

I say good riddance to them.

 

[ryanw]

data is data wether you use it on your phone or your computer. I know you may use more on your computer because it is easier to do the tasks but honestly you are paying for unlimited with the $30 plan, $70 would be way to much to pay, I would deffinetly jailbreak and pay the one time fee of $10

ditto...

I rely heavily on my iPhone and I PERSONALLY would rather them stop continuously upgrading the infrastructure and just start being competitive on the price. I think the 3G speeds were adequate for what I need in a device right now. I see my phone bill every month and it makes me nuts. Unlimited voice, unlimited data, unlimited texts.. It's insane, but with as much power as the iphone has, it enables you to use more than the service offerings of 2001.

 

[weing]

I don't get the whining over MMS. Once youve had the thrill and sent a picture of you dog ,cat or kid ONCE, isn't it kinda over?