Why does AT&T have to issue the MicroCell hardware at all?
If I'm in my home with spotty 3G coverage but my phone is connected to my home wi-fi network, why can't it just route my call over wi-fi rather than needing the extra piece of hardware to convert my internet to a 3G signal? They essentially already do this to allow a FaceTime call. But with audio only both users wouldn't need wi-fi. It would be great if the phone could manage to transition between wi-fi and 3G for voice calls seamlessly much the same way it does for data now.
Imagine the burden it would take off the cell towers if everyone's phones in NYC and SF switched to wi-fi when people took them inside! I guess the ISP's would complain that ATT was shifting the burden of its calls to them, but they're essentially doing the same thing with the MicroCell, but the MicroCell just makes it harder to do it because it requires an additional piece of hardware to set up and configure.
ATT could still offer it as an "optional" service, but it would be a lot easier to implement. They could maybe offer some sort of credit for number of minutes used "off the cell grid". I would think you'd want to still buy a package for your overall minutes used, since it's too hard to estimate from month to month how much time you'd spend on/off the grid, but then if you got some sort of rebate depending on what portion of your time went through wi-fi, that would be cool.
Maybe requiring the MicroCell prevents an en-masse shifting to the internet and if everyone did it, the ISPs would collapse? But it seems like it could be set up on the phone that it preferentially stays on 3G and only moves to wi-fi when service drops below a certain strength (or when you inadvertently grip your iPhone 4 incorrectly )
If I'm in my home with spotty 3G coverage but my phone is connected to my home wi-fi network, why can't it just route my call over wi-fi rather than needing the extra piece of hardware to convert my internet to a 3G signal? They essentially already do this to allow a FaceTime call. But with audio only both users wouldn't need wi-fi. It would be great if the phone could manage to transition between wi-fi and 3G for voice calls seamlessly much the same way it does for data now.
Imagine the burden it would take off the cell towers if everyone's phones in NYC and SF switched to wi-fi when people took them inside! I guess the ISP's would complain that ATT was shifting the burden of its calls to them, but they're essentially doing the same thing with the MicroCell, but the MicroCell just makes it harder to do it because it requires an additional piece of hardware to set up and configure.
ATT could still offer it as an "optional" service, but it would be a lot easier to implement. They could maybe offer some sort of credit for number of minutes used "off the cell grid". I would think you'd want to still buy a package for your overall minutes used, since it's too hard to estimate from month to month how much time you'd spend on/off the grid, but then if you got some sort of rebate depending on what portion of your time went through wi-fi, that would be cool.
Maybe requiring the MicroCell prevents an en-masse shifting to the internet and if everyone did it, the ISPs would collapse? But it seems like it could be set up on the phone that it preferentially stays on 3G and only moves to wi-fi when service drops below a certain strength (or when you inadvertently grip your iPhone 4 incorrectly )