AT&T Unimpressed With 'Operation Chokehold' Proposal to Strain Cellular Network

[schwell]

meh, so if the network isn't strong enough to handle a real emergency (like the earthquake in your post), we should just accept that? If it's so volatile that a simple blog post can bring it down, we should all be focusing on the blog post instead of the gaping flaws in critical infrastructure?

Deeper problems are there. Don't blame that guy for exposing them in this relatively harmless manner (I doubt anyone will die because they missed a critical email, btw.. much more than likely they'll die because of a dropped call on AT&T's consistently poor network. but whatever).

1. I hate "meh"

2. PikachuMan - why?

3. An earthquake and most disasters overload wireless networks and in many cases wireline networks. Don't blame that on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint etc. If you want them to build their networks to be able to handle those emergencies everywhere at anytime then you better be prepared to pay ten times your current rate.

 

[oldwatery]

Thank god you didn't help found this country, with your attitude we would have never stood up, had a revolution and fought for our freedoms. You want to live your life where every decision is made for you? Try living in a socialist/communist nation for a month or 2. You might see things in a different light.

Actually my ancestors did just that and I am proud of it. I have also lived in your dreaded socialist countries and guess what, I've never been imprisoned or had my voice choked off. In fact the countries in question have more liberties than we have here thanks to the special interests and lawyers that control our lives. When i lived in Florida for example I was arrested for throwing a ball on the beach. Others arrested for wearing anti Bush t-shirts! Freedom ...yeh right!

 

[K3mp]

People do this all the time anyway. Also what is with everyone bashing AT&T about everything? All you people just whine and complain because AT&T is having a hard time supporting a TON of new iPhones. They are doing a great job everywhere I go. A verizon iPhone would not be any better and most likely worse. Sure your "mobile" Internet on your smartphone on verizon (there's a reason why there are only a few smartphones on verizon) might load a smudge faster than my AT&T iPhone that loaded everything because all you have is basic text. There would not be as many iPhones as there are if AT&T really had that bad of service. Just because a bunch of bloggers that just like to complain think AT&T is bad that does not mean that the other 99% of people do. When most people drop a call they move on with their lives. From what I've read some people think that every other carrier never drops a call and never has a problem. The only time I have problems is at a LSU football games where there are +90,000 people in a stadium. The Internet gets really slow but that is it. I personally have an iPhone because It is on AT&T.

 

[butterfly0fdoom]

That is just the problem, AT&T doesn't get it. They throw a few million here and there to try to catch up. They are not forward thinking as to how they will succeed with worsening conditions. The bottom line is AT&T really doesn't know how to think for the future.

AT&T is probably already content with losing exclusivity with the iPhone. And that means that their network will probably scale back in demand. AT&T as a brand is just horrible and getting worse. I will switch to Verizon the day an iPhone becomes available... I don't care about cancellation costs or switching costs or anything. I want a damn phone that works! The iPhone is great, but AT&T is totally ruining the user experience that Apple has laid out for iPhone users.

1) Yay, more blind bashing on AT&T. Again, there's a lot of factors that are not within AT&T's control.

2) If you and all the iPhone users clogging AT&T moved to Verizon, then Verizon will, as has been stated by myself and plenty of others, suffer what AT&T has been suffering. Have fun with that.

 

[iphones4evry1]

I don't see how this does anything more than make AT&T annoyed by iPhone users. Perhaps AT&T will intentionally punish iPhone users with slower data speeds compared to non-iPhone users in the future.

I don't think this is the solution. It's akin to biting the hand that feeds you. It would be much smarter to let Verizon do the marketing for us (like their map commercials).

 

[mattwolfmatt]

Shame on those of you who are supporting AT&T. They continue to get rich off of the iPhone at our expense . . . May the day of a Verizon iPhone come as soon as possible.

You're right, when Verizon gets the iPhone, I'm sure it will donate all of its profits to the United Way.

 

[j-traxx]

someone could get hurt or killed because the network is down because some loser couldnt download his pr0n wherever he wanted and wants to retaliate. how dumb is this stunt. i hope everyone who does this gets a call that someone they know was hurt as a direct action of this.

 

[AidenShaw]

2) If you and all the iPhone users clogging AT&T moved to Verizon, then Verizon will, as has been stated by myself and plenty of others, suffer what AT&T has been suffering. Have fun with that.

That is purely conjecture - you have no evidence to support that claim. You don't know the network traffic on the two carriers.

Verizon has been pushing EV-DO modems and laptop links for years (my Dell laptops have builtin EV-DO with Verizon). Do you know how much data traffic is on the Verizon network (hint - you don't, because it shows up as Win7/Vista/XP/OSX/Linux traffic, not as phone traffic).

Verizon even sells 3G access points - 3G to WiFI for sharing an EV-DO connection.

With Mobile Broadband Service and WiFi capability, the MiFi™2200 enables you to take full advantage of America’s largest and most reliable 3G network!

The MiFi2200 enhances the Mobile Broadband Service experience by also providing a wireless hub for up to five WiFi–enabled devices at one time – multiple users can take advantage of an instant hotspot. And with its compact and lightweight form factor and rechargeable battery, provides the ultimate in on–the–go flexibility!

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/...t&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=4726

It's entirely possible that Verizon is already carrying far more 3G traffic than AT&T, and that adding the load from Iphones wouldn't amount to much.

We just don't know the numbers, so any claim that "Verizon would collapse if they had the Iphone" is just BS.

 

[932ky]

Don't Care...At All

Seriously this would not matter to me at all. I have no AT&T service anywhere near me, which is why I am on Sprint and will be staying on Sprint. Once they come out with a 4G phone I will be happy. I think it is stupid that AT&T wouldn't be able to handle all the data, especially if they are willing to sell the phone, and have monthly unlimited plans. And, can someone clear this up, if AT&T can do voice and data at the same time, then will this affect the voice network at all, because if it does then I don't think it should be done, but if it will just crash the data network then I am all for it!

 

[emt1]

This idea is reckless and juvenile.

 

[pc-proud]

same on me? ya shame on me for having 5 bars on att and 1-0 on version? shame on me for paying $55 a month and getting around 15- 25 gigs of data a month but on versions horrible network that has 1 bar of nothing 1000$+ dollars a month. no shame on you.

Dude, what plan are you paying a $1000 a month. Perhaps you should cut back on the pron viewing if you don't have a data plan

 

[ThunderSkunk]

When I opened this thread, I couldn't have cared less. After reading it, I'm inclined to participate in it, if only to spite such sniveling.

 

[Mr. Gates]

This idea is reckless and juvenile.

Not really, AT&T needs to wake up. The customers have some real gripes.

Reckless ? what is that even supposed to mean. You know last time I was in S.F. @ 2am and needed to call a cab to my hotel, I thought it was pretty reckless of AT&T to keep dropping my call. Had to use a filthy payphone due to the lack of service.

Do you own stock?

 

[robotartfashion]

To those who say they might miss an important call during the protest, consider this....

A client called back in October and left a voice mail to let me know she wanted to hire me to photograph her wedding, $1800. But Att failed to deliver that voice mail AND 7 OTHERS for an entire month! I actually didnt receive it until TWO DAYS after her wedding! No missed call notices or anything! I'm not the only one this has happened too, either.

And before you say dont rely on a cell phone for your business, In my particular set of circumstances (to long to go into here) I have too.

Switching to Verizon and the Droid in January.

just a side note, get google voice and use that as your business # (fellow photog although not of the wedding variety),

btw, don't expect too much, I've had vm's disappear with my old Verizon account as well

good luck, sorry to hear about your experience

 

[Maverick1337]

You know what, you people just need to chill out, seriously. All this talk about, "if you bring down the networks, I hope you get a call that someone you know got hurt" or AT&T needs to be burned at the stake just really needs to go away. In case of a huge earthquake since you know california is known for them, if AT&T can't handle emergencies like that, they WILL be burned at the stake. Could you imagine how crazy Verizon would go if hundreds of thousands of people if not millions of AT&T users weren't able to call their loved ones saying they were ok. You think these map commercials are bad? So to say AT&T doesn't have to be prepared for emergencies is bull crap. When I absolutely NEED my phone to work, it better work, that's what we pay for. AT&T needs to invest more money into upgrading. I read the report, 38 billion dollars going into upgrading towers, but that still didnt even put a cell tower at my college campus (Cal Poly SLO) and it's going on two years saying they would put on up. I can't back AT&T anymore. I have crappy service. I get at least 5-6 dropped calls a day. Do I think bringing down the entire network is justified, no, but does it send a bigger signal than "Mark My Spot App" definitely (if it works). And that's just to say if it works or not, which it won't. It would have to take a huge disaster in order for that to happen. I don't want anyone to get hurt, I just want AT&T to hold up their promises they have given me. We'll just have to wait until the basic principles of supply and demand follow through for everything to fall in order.

 

[robotartfashion]

Dude, what plan are you paying a $1000 a month. Perhaps you should cut back on the pron viewing if you don't have a data plan

1350
Minutes with unlimited calling to and from
5 Friends & Family numbers $99.99

I think he was probably overestimating to make a point

That's verizon's cell only plan w/no data. I used to get raped by this regularly. ATT's equivalent is $79.99 and has ROLLOVER

ATT has serious short comings but I spent 8 years with Verizon and I'll say this:
Pros for VW: Great network, hardly any dropped calls
Cons for VW: Terrible customer service, crippled phone software, and high $$$ plans

The grass is not always greener, its just its own variety of scorched earth

 

[brightstarbeing]

Actually...

This is about as intelligent and mature as eight teens deciding to drive 35 mph side-by-side on a freeway during rush hour to show that traffic sucks. People already knew about the problems before, and those bungholes are just going to make it worse for people who have nothing to do with it being that way.

They were college students and they were protesting speed limits. To prove their point that speed limits are arbitrary, unenforceable and simply a mechinism to get money for the government, they lined up on all lanes of the highway and went exactly the speed limit. The fact that traffic was blocked up for miles was moot. Anyone that would have passed them would have been braking the law anyway.

 

[pc-proud]

If one more moron uses that idiotic and most useless of phrase "speak truth to power", I'll declare "Jihad" on their sorry ass!

You declaring a jihad? Are you a terrorist? I'm telling the DHS

 

[pc-proud]

just a side note, get google voice and use that as your business # (fellow photog although not of the wedding variety),

btw, don't expect too much, I've had vm's disappear with my old Verizon account as well

good luck, sorry to hear about your experience

FYI, I'm guessing you are refering to getting Google Voice on the Verizon phone because last I heard and it's still out there, GV is not available on an iPhone because either ATT or Apple rejected that App.

To everyone thinking this will kill the voice network... If you are at work, use your landline work phone to make important calls. If you are at home, use your landline home phone to make important calls. If you are at a place of business getting some kind of service done, use their landline business phone to make important calls. Are you getting the point yet? If I have to make an important call that I don't wanna chance getting dropped, I'll pick up my home or work phone and make that call.

 

[robotartfashion]

FYI, I'm guessing you are refering to getting Google Voice on the Verizon phone because last I heard and it's still out there, GV is not available on an iPhone because either ATT or Apple rejected that App.

To everyone thinking this will kill the voice network... If you are at work, use your landline work phone to make important calls. If you are at home, use your landline home phone to make important calls. If you are at a place of business getting some kind of service done, use their landline business phone to make important calls. Are you getting the point yet? If I have to make an important call that I don't wanna chance getting dropped, I'll pick up my home or work phone and make that call.

Nope, I'm referring to ATT,

A) You don't have to have a google voice app for the service to work. The calls are routed from the Google Voice app to the ATT phone # that you provide in the call forwarding

B) JB allows access to the google voice app if its that important for you to be able to dial out with the # in GV

You don't need Verizon to use the service.

 

[Stephen123]

This idiotic scheme is very likely to get someone killed if it gets off the ground. The fact that AT&T lets you use data and voice at the same time does not mean that both don't use bandwidth. If people actually do this it will interfere with voice communication, including 911.

 

[iansilv]

The funniest part of this is the subtle way they are trying to shift ATT as a company away from Beig responsible for their network. Notice how they refer to it as "a network everyone uses" like it's a public resource they maintain, rather than a company-owned product used to make money? Or the way they talk about a mythical "3%" of people that use some huge amount of data bandwidth- implying that there is some small group destroying this common network resource, and ATT is going to try an defend all of us good users from them. Thisis nothing more than a public relations strategy to avoid s epnding money on network Infrastructure buildout knowing that they will lose exclusivity soon...

 

[AAPLaday]

Seems to me that if your not happy with the service then the best way to show it is to not renew contract and leave. That will hurt AT&T more than this planned event. Losing say 100,000 customers on a planned exodus would be way more devastating for them. Get an iPod touch and another cell phone.

I love my iPhone but it's not like it's the only phone out there. If O2 had this many problems there's no way I'd get another iPhone on their network. Id rather have a 64 Gb touch and say a samsung or lg phone

 

[iansilv]

I don't know man- have you tried any of the current windows phones? Pieces of crap!

 

[andrewmc]

Maybe I'm just lucky with where I live, but I've never understood the AT&T hate.

I've been with them for about 4.5 years. I started off with a Moto RAZR, which somehow had a bad reputation on its own and yet I never experienced any problems with it. Then I had a Blackjack II. I've had an iPhone 3GS for about 6 months now.

And guess what! I've never once had a dropped called, fuzzy reception, voicemail delay, failure for missed calls to appear, or any of the other problems that so many people--both AT&T and Verizon users--complain about. I can't stand using the phones of my friends who have Verizon. The crippled interface, nonfunctional Bluetooth, tendency for the same text message to send five or six times, and all of the problems listed above make me more than content with my current service.

If you aren't happy with your service, switch. That's what I did, except that it was from Verizon to AT&T.