AT&T fails to deploy iPhone Tethering and 3G MicroCell in 2009 - Page 2

hmmm - that name rings a bell

In a way I partly agree with you. All carriers need to end the charade of "unlimited" bandwidth and charge for what people use. Then there doesn't have to be this squabble over smarphone vs. tethering. Data is data.


This may come as a shock to the non-technical, but bandwidth, and specifically in this discussion, radio spectrum is not unlimited. While there are moves afoot to re-assign more spectrum to the cellular carriers, if "unlimited" usage will quickly grow to fill no matter what capacity there is.

Esp. those who indignantly demand tethering as a basic right

Well, jailbreaking does in fact may my iPhone damn near perfect. Everything from tethering to the quick wireless on/off switches to background processes (you just don't know how much I love being able to listen to Pandora in the background while I browse the net or do other stuff on my iPhone). It's simple stuff like that which should be no-brainers for the iPhone.

@ghostface

It's nice to say that you want more features at no additional charge than you agreed to, but it's not realistic and it's shortsided. AT&T charges $60/month for dedicated notebook tethering via a USB card and they charge you the difference to equal $60 if you want tethering. For your "it should be included with you data plan" to be viable you are essentially saying you want the iPhone plans to increase by $40 each month for everyone, regardless of if you plan to tether or not.

PS: This is coming from someone who uses 20-30GB a month tethering with a jailbroken iPhone. If they offered it as an option I'd gladly pay for it as I think it's fair since it's above and beyond what I agreed to. If they cut me off or throttle me I'll deal with it but I certainly don't feel a since of entitlement because I misunderstood my contract the term unlimited.

They should get this out 'next' year.. Here in Thailand, whenever I go on a vacation at Hua Hin (3G hotspot). I would save a bundle on hotel internet connection fees just by tethering my Mac Book through my iPhone.

My God man. Coincidently. Don't use words you don't understand. And no, it's not just a typo, either.



Agreed.


So AT&T's problem is the lack of available spectrum? You're discussing two different issues.



1. How about just offering tethering? Isn't that what we're talking about?
2. Shortsighted. Jesus..you guys are killing me.


Straw man. There is no reason for all plans to go up that much.


This is all because of the term "unlimited." They ought to just set a cap...say 10GB a month. After that, charge $5 a GB. Problem solved.

If AT&T were to release the MicroCell product now, it would be the most direct admission yet that there own network is poor, and would just inject a boatload of fuel to Verizon's ad campaign highlighting AT&T's spotty coverage.

Even if the device is technically ready, I don't think they know how to market it successfully in light of the current Verizon campaign.

Another minor question I've always pondered is what will ISP's say/do with the added network traffic generated by the Microcells (especially, uh, Verizon...)

Yes, I refuse to use any internet service that's slower than USB's 480 Mb per second....

I can one up you. I am with Sonera here in FInland. Unlimited data means that: UNLIMITED. I am well over 3 or 4 gigs a month because I tether from the moment I hit the office until I leave. This includes using iTunes, Skype, email, etc.... My speeds are consistently 3 gigs down and 700kb up. AT&T is screwing customers over. Glad I do not have to use them.

long time waiting on verizon to get an iphone... but now with android and sense ui, no longer interested in an iphone... iphone is boring now...

3 Gigs as in 3Gps??

The money quote...


The iPhone users I know personally all say they are satisfied with their device. I think the "grass is greener on the other side of the fence" syndrome is in full force in this case. Not to say at&t is the guiltless victim here, quite the contrary, but the other carriers aren't much better, as I predict iPhone users will quickly find out when the device is officially available on competing networks. Just my opinion, of course.

I don't know if I agree with this. You may be paying for unlimited access, but that contract is for your phone, not another device. Although tethering allows internet traffic to go through your phone, it is not being used by your phone, but your notebook. However, because you are already a customer, tethering plans should not be more than $10.00 extra.

It's a win-win situation. You get internet on your notebook and the provider get $$ to improve the network.

How can you offer just tethering without a phone plan? If you want "just" a connection for your PC then get 3G USB card. BTW, thos data plans are more likely to have a monitored usage cap abd cost 2x as much as phone's data plan. Can you guess why?


Yes, shortsided for anyone who expects it to be included despite the signed contract stating otherwise and without considering how this will affect the phone's minimum monthly cost.


How about realistic based on what they charge for tethering on their other phones and what the 3G USB card data charge is. A little research people!


Or one could read the contract and realise that "unlimited" can refer to more than one thing.

That would be nice to have.

I'd at least like to have a tethering option when WiFi is enabled. I has to troubleshoot a Mac that could no longer see it's WiFi card. I do have a jailbroken phone with tethering but recall thinking what a PITA It would have been to do without it.

I realize that yes technically the contract does limit the extent of "unlimited data" as there are multiple ways in which data can be unlimited (i.e amount consumed, speed, bandwidth, number of machines, etc). Nonetheless I feel AT&T is guilty of extreme hypocrisy and blatant false advertising. Recently, AT&T sued Verizon for their "There's a map for that" ad under the grounds that even though the ad indicated that the coverage depicted was only for 3G areas the perception of the average viewer was that the map showed total network coverage. Essentially AT&T argued that a viewer's perception is more important than the fine print, when it comes to advertising (there was more to their lawsuit than this, and they eventually dropped it...but still). If AT&T can blame Verizon for misleading advertising than I feel AT&T is at fault for selling an "unlimited data" plan (which most people probably interpret as "without limits in any, way shape or form") when really the plan is limited in many ways. AT&T should not use the word "unlimited" in their marketing if there are hidden limits since is deliberately misleads the customer. I don't really believe that any of the other networks are much better, but I am sick and tired of AT&T's continual disrespect for their customer.

Both Verizon's and AT&T's coverage sucks where I live. I want a MicroCell.

How about AT&T's network failures around New Year's where cellular signal went up and down for about an hour, and simple SMS text messages were heavily delayed?

Yes, AT&T's network & infrastructure is not upto par.

Two thoughts. One, AT&T's failure to deliver on tethering (and very delayed introduction of MMS - only on the iphone) has convinced me to give up on the iphone, at least for a year. When a carrier is ready to offer the iphone with a tethering plan [no jailbreaking necessary], I'll consider the iphone again. Two, we need to forget unlimited data. There is no such thing anyway - just charge us for what we use. Someone might need to stream 1080p 30fps over their phone - fine, charge them $250/month. I just need to edit and exchange MS Word docs and such as part of work on the road. Right now, sans tethering, I have to find another way. This shouldn't be difficult...

I thought it meant without limits?

I'm in the same boat. I finally got a monthly Boingo account. That will usually get service for my iPhone or MBP at airports, and covers the wifi fee at hotels about half the time.

I think I pay about $15.00 per month for the service. Since a lot of hotels charge $15 for wifi, it's been worth it for me.

i agree with you 100%, i already pay for the data via ATT, if i don't go over the limit and can mange my usage... why the heck should we pay more?

very lame. but i understand that ATT's network wouldn't be able to deal with tethering data usage. it is already in many areas over the brink and useless at parts of the day

----
On Microcell, I get terrible coverage where i live and ATT is overpriced. I may just switch to T-Mobile and take the charges to kill the account, at least with t-mobile i can then get an Microcell equivilent femtocell

iPhone tethering is free here with a number of our phone networks, but the cheapest and nastiest network which also sells the iPhone charges about $10/month on top for it.

This article was very helpful for me as well as the comments. I can't understand why Apple can't invest in a more solid mobile framework. If the company is in a hand grip with the big wigs at ATT then they should be willing to invest in that particular mobile framework, to which the iPhone is excusive to, in order to make it more reliable not only for their Apple customers but also to promote their wireless product sales.

This article helped me the most with it's depthness concerning Apple's tethering issue and their pending relationship with ATT. My iPhone contract with mobile carrier is up for renewal this summer but, after reading this article & the comments to it, I doubt that I'll renew at this point.

Corey.

Ooooppssss..... 3mb/s, but you get my drift.... Unlimited, with no nasty repercussions from the operator here.

Do you understand that italics serve to emphasize certain words or phrases? They don't even OFFER tethering. I wasn't saying they should offer it without a phone plan.


It's SHORTSIGHTED. That is what I was getting at....my GOD.


So the price would be the same even though many won't use the feature.

I am in one of the two areas in North Carolina where they released them this fall.

I have wrestled with the blasted box (two different ones, so no, it isn't a defective device) the entire time. It is hooked up to my ATT DSL line, so they can't point a finger at my ISP.

It needs a clear signal to GPS before it will start (so it goes in a window... what, you want it in the middle of your house so it covers the whole house?) and the location better match where they think it belongs. It took the first FOUR weeks for them to figure out that they assumed it must be at my BILLING address (a PO box 5 miles away), not the STREET ADDRESS their own sales person typed in when I bought the thing.

It then took 6 weeks of calling, getting referred up the chain, supposed consultations with Cisco, being forgotten, restarting the entire trouble ticket process and multiple firmware updates before it would maintain its 3G signal for more than 5 minutes at a time. Every time they would download new firmware and assume they had fixed it without actually ASKING me if it was working. Hey, they downloaded the firmware to it, they checked it immediately, it said it was now online, all done, right?

It now only turns off the 3G service for a few minutes at a time, at random timepoints. It does however, drop calls after 4-5 minutes, and half the time when it thinks it is working neither of the two iPhones in the house see any 3G service available.

So why do I keep trying? Well, I am in a rural area and have essentially zero service in my home. I am on call for work pretty much 24/7 and it would make life easier for a whole bunch of people if they could just call my cell, period.

Bottom line, I can tell you why the MicroCell is not in widespread use - it just plain is not ready for prime-time. It isn't even ready for a beta test. They should be yanked off the market until they work.

I have been waiting weeks for the ATT to turn on my microcell which I purchased in the San Diego Pilot area. Finally this 12/03/2009 they turned it on for me in Irvine, California. This may be an indication of its expansion within the state of California and possibly nationally.

It even seems to work for the most part.

Happy New Year!