AT&T Starting 3G Launch By Next Week

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=5683677' target='_blank'>http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle....storyID=5683677</a><br /><br /></div><i>"AT&amp;T Wireless Services Inc., the third-largest U.S. mobile operator, on Thursday said it was on track to launch a high-speed Internet service for mobile phones this year, and sources close to the matter said the rollout would begin in four markets early next week. AT&amp;T Wireless will launch its third-generation or "3G" mobile phone service capable of transmitting e-mail, pictures, and video at a high speed in four cities -- San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix and Detroit, the sources told Reuters."</i><br /><br />The key is the pricing for their WCDMA service: the article suggests $80/month for corporate entities, but <b>$25/month</b> for consumers. That's more in the affordable range than Verizon's, whose 1xEV-DO service (which is also currently in rollout) costs $79.99 for any interested consumer. Hopefully, the increased competition will benefit us all. 8)

[Kash76]

The $25 is great news!! I am a Sprint user and it's hard for me to look elsewhere with my 25% discount through my employer but I would love a BT phone to use with my 2215, especially at those speeds!!!

[Jeff Song]

Wow $25/month is incredible for 3G! Hope T-Mobile follows suit and rolls out their EDGE network soon...

[Vincent M Ferrari]

The only way AT&T's 3G will benefit anyone is if AT&T puts major improvements into their GSM network, which from someone who works for a company that sells AT&T's services, they just aren't doing.

Their GSM network is very spotty, even in NYC where it shouldn't be, and that's going to hurt customers indirectly.

Let's say you go over to your local VZW store, and say "Hey, AT&T is only $25" they'll look you dead in the eye, as they do now, and say "So go. But you won't get the coverage."

T-Mobile might have more incentive to react to this, as would Cingular and Sprint, but an operator like Verizon will just look at it and go "what's the big deal? It's cheap, but it doesn't work anywhere," and to a degree they're right.

[Kash76]

If you have this deal once the Cingular handover is done then you would be set. The coverage should be pretty good then.

[CME2C]

off topic

Kash, you can get a bluetooth Sprint phone right now. I have a Sony T608 that Sprint sells through its telephone sales dept only, use it with my Ipaq 2215 all the time and it works great. For more info on the phone you can go to www.sprintpcsinfo.com
If you don't overuse it, you can connect to your ipaq as part of your vision plan. I routinely get speeds of 100K, and supposedly that is going to increase soon with sprint. There was a post here at ppc thoughts about a possible pocket pc phone similar to the tmobile xdaIII that is supposedly "3G" compatible coming to sprint soon.

[Kash76]

I know. I'm just really iching for a phone like my vm4500 with BT :) I can't spend $200 on the SE, it has too many cons for me right now.

[Janak Parekh]

The only way AT&T's 3G will benefit anyone is if AT&T puts major improvements into their GSM network, which from someone who works for a company that sells AT&T's services, they just aren't doing. Their GSM network is very spotty, even in NYC where it shouldn't be, and that's going to hurt customers indirectly.
Agreed, but they're slowly fixing it up by patching in 850MHz coverage in the NY area. They used to have good coverage in the NY metro area, so they have the towers and rights... it's a matter of finishing off the network.

(But yes, I carry a Verizon phone -- my i700 -- right now. ;))

but an operator like Verizon will just look at it and go "what's the big deal? It's cheap, but it doesn't work anywhere," and to a degree they're right.
I really hope AT&T/Cingular get their act together. Verizon/Sprint needs a little competition here... the CDMA carriers' arrogance towards Bluetooth is very frustrating; even with the T608, Sprint tries hard to cripple it, and Verizon is taking their sweet time in releasing the Moto V710.

--janak

[Vincent M Ferrari]

I think you hit the nail on the head Janak. Verizon doesn't compete because, for the most part, they don't have to.

Even with number portability, I believe they posted a net gain in customers despite less competitive plans, crappy phone selection, and higher prices.

Why?

Network quality.

I think for most people that coverage issue is the big sticking point with AT&T, especially considering their abysmal churn rate since number portability took effect.

[foldedspace]

I'd love to skip the bluetooth connection with the phone and just go with a PCMCIA card for my laptop. Anyone using data plans? ATT is still expensive right now...what about other data plans?

[jcsickz]

how fast exactly is 3G compared with gprs which runs 20-40 kbps?

[aristoBrat]

how fast exactly is 3G compared with gprs which runs 20-40 kbps?
AT&T Wireless has said that its W-CDMA tests show that the technology can support Internet data at speeds of about 200,000 bits per second to 300,000 bits per second.

That is about twice to almost three times as fast as AT&T Wireless' fastest speeds today and about four times as fast as dial-up links most people get at home today using phone lines.

Verizon Wireless says that its EV-DO network is as fast as 300,000 bits per second to 500,000 bits per second.

[aristoBrat]

One of the things that really surprised me about VZW is that they're being very conservative with their 3G (EVDO) network.

They've been hounding the company I work for to "consider" using their EVDO network (when rolled out) as a WAN backup to our 2500+ retail stores across the country (that use satellite as their primary WAN connection).

When we asked them about the pricing to use their upcoming EVDO network as our stores primary WAN connection, they said that they weren't prepared to do that becuase they're not sure what the impact of having "always on" data-only connections will do to the networks performance. 8O

That didn't leave a warm and fuzzy feeling with us.

[mobile]

I've seen AT&T's 3G network live getting download speeds of about 275 kbps or so. I'm currently using AT&T's EDGE network and tend to get 80-120 kbps. Also, in places where AT&T's signal is crappy, it now roams onto Cingular's network. Some of you may have noticed that on your phones. Of course, Cingular doesn't have commercially available EDGE yet, afaik. So, in that sense it's not much of an improvement, but in terms of voice it's a good thing. Can't wait for 3G to come. :D Too bad they're just going to sell crappy Nokia phones. It'd be nice with some of the Japanese 3G phones, LG, NEC, or Sony Ericsson.

[jsmcguir]

Can't wait for 3G either.
Cingular does have EDGE available, but not everywhere on their network. We've had EDGE here in Indiana for almost a year. Probably EDGE is not included in the roaming agreements the companies make.
But since Cingular won't have 3G for quite some time (they are only now doing testing in Atlanta) I'll have to be happy with the Nokia 6230 that Cingular is supposed to be getting in August. EDGE with Bluetooth and MMC slot. 8)

[jcsickz]

those speeds are unreal. what are the chances of t-mobile offering 3G?

[Janak Parekh]

those speeds are unreal. what are the chances of t-mobile offering 3G?
It'll come, eventually, but I haven't heard concrete dates as to when they'll deploy 3G as well. My guess is the next few years.

--janak

[beq]

I'd love to skip the bluetooth connection with the phone and just go with a PCMCIA card for my laptop. Anyone using data plans? ATT is still expensive right now...what about other data plans?
I'd love to get a PPC Phone Edition with built-in 3G support (along with the quad-band GSM). Maybe the next versions of the MPX, XDA III, IPAQ 6300? One with VGA and Bluetooth, which I can then pair with the BlueSpoon Digital earset. And can also serve as the 3G modem for the laptop...