AT&T Expands MicroCell Service

[Jeff Campbell]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/26/atandt-rolling-out-microcell-to-five-more-markets/' target='_blank'>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/26/atan...e-more-markets/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"We've previously written about AT&amp;T's MicroCell device and service here at TUAW. It's a tiny cell tower that you plug into your home cable or DSL connection to boost your phone reception. This is particularly handy for those with home offices who may currently be plagued with poor reception on their iPhones."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1267293040.usr105634.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>And now five more markets have been added to their trial list. Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Las Vegas and San Diego residents now can set up their very own MicroCell, but only if they want to spend the additional $19.99 USD per month on top of the existing AT&amp;T bill (besides the $150.00 USD the device costs). The MicroCell covers an area up to 5,000 square feet and is perfect for those with spotty coverage in their homes. Seems like a steep price to pay for this though, should AT&amp;T just fix the coverage issues for their customers?&nbsp;</p>

[Dyvim]

Honestly, if my AT&T coverage were so bad that I needed to pay an extra $20/mo for the "privilege" of using my home internet connection with my AT&T cell phone, I'd just switch to Verizon or whatever. I love my iPhone, but I could get by with a dumb phone and an iPod touch, esp. if I got something like a MiFi that I could use on the go with any WiFi-enabled portable device.

Seems like AT&T should just charge for the hardware but no monthly fee since really you'd be doing them a favor by (a) off-loading network congestion to your ISP, and (b) sticking with them for expensive cell phone service even though their coverage apparently stinks for you (otherwise you wouldn't need the microcell in the first place).

Anyway, I suppose this will be helpful for a certain subset of users that need to stick with AT&T even though they don't have decent coverage at their home or work.

[Jon Childs]

From what I have read, I believe the 19.99 is if you want to add on unlimited calling. I think you can just buy the device and use you regular minutes with no monthly fee. Now $150 to fix what is AT&T's problem still seems a bit steep, but if it was just a one time purchase I would be a lot more likely to buy it.

[ptyork]

From what I have read, I believe the 19.99 is if you want to add on unlimited calling. I think you can just buy the device and use you regular minutes with no monthly fee. Now $150 to fix what is AT&T's problem still seems a bit steep, but if it was just a one time purchase I would be a lot more likely to buy it.

I believe Jon is right in this. $20/mo is optional (and seemingly covers the whole family if on a family plan, which is nice).

http://images.appleinsider.com/attmicrocell.png

I still think UMA (i.e., T-Mobile's calls over WiFi) is a better (and generally cheaper) option, but it does require an advanced phone. And yes, I agree fully that this is a crock, but I suppose you can bitch about the service quality to no avail or pony up the $$$ for better coverage. A crock grounded in reality, I guess.

I'm in one of the newly covered areas. I've got 5 bars at home and -1 at work. I need this at work, but I don't think I'm gonna be able to convince the powers that be that using the school's internet for my personal calls is kosher. Too bad, as I'm willing to part with $150 for the ability to use my phone here.