The number one reason why I still haven’t got an iPhone is because of AT&T, I knew earlier on that they bought Cingular’s existing, crappy cellular network and as a former Cingular-customer, I know they have one of the slowest networks based on real testing. (This was like 6 months right before Cingular turned into AT&T)
Anyways, AT&T is STILL trying to find ways to cap iPhone users’ data (that they’ve PAID for) and still trying to PROMISE people that they are spending billions of dollars on network expansion.
AT&T is planning to find ways to convince heavy iPhone users to stop using so much data (despite paying for unlimited plans), as a way to ameliorate the perpetually clogged 3G networks in San Francisco and New York, according to AT&T executive Ralph de la Vega.
Speaking at the UBS conference in New York Wednesday, de la Vega said that heavy video and music listeners were bandwidth hogs, and some 3 percent of smartphones were using 40 percent of its network capacity, according to Reuters.
I think that’s a great idea except people paid for a good coverage in advance. Even if AT&T had the expansion next year, that means all the iPhone users paid for that, not AT&T. Hence my point, I have been boycotting AT&T products since 2006, thank you very much.
AT&T’s working on:
We are nearly doubling the wireless spectrum serving 3G customers in hundreds of markets across the country, using high-quality 850 MHz spectrum. This additional spectrum expands overall network capacity and improves in-building reception.
o We are adding about 2,000 new cell sites, expanding service to new cities and improving coverage in other areas.
o We’re adding about 100,000 new backhaul connections, which add critical capacity between cell sites and the global IP backbone network. We’re doubling the number of fiber-served cell sites this year.
o We’re enabling widespread access to our Wi-Fi network – the largest in the country with more than 20,000 hotspots in all 50 states – allowing them to take advantage of the best available AT&T mobile broadband connection.
o We’re rolling out even faster 3G speeds with deployment of HSPA 7.2 technology, with availability in six markets planned by the end of the year.
o We are preparing for field trials of next generation, LTE wireless networks next year, with deployment planning to begin in 2011. This schedule aligns with industry expectations for when a wide variety of compatible 4G wireless devices should be available.
And all this should have been done before they even sold a single unit of iPhones. Great, it’s like I paid for my $3000/year service 2 years ahead of the time before they can get it working right without dropped calls/data connections.
I will have to stay with Sprint for now, at least much faster and reliable everywhere through the U.S., especially well in metropolitan cities like San Francisco.
Don’t get me wrong, my thoughts always change (as did with Windows 7) and if AT&T one day gets their stuff faster/more reliable than Verizon/Sprint, I will be the first one to write a positive review. 🙂
Until then, I am going back into my box that says, “boycott AT&T”.
P.S. Still being capped by AT&T? Try moving to another country or get the DROID/Palm Pre on Verizon/Sprint.
Verizon and Sprint are still faster than AT&T because they are built on CDMA network. CDMA (EDVO) networks are still faster than GSM(HSDPA) networks here in the U.S. (based on real life testing).
