AT&T network issues allegedly the cause of iPhone 3G tethering plan delays
We heard back in June that the iPhone 3G would not be offered with an optional tethering plan but now a new report indicates that might only be half the story. It now appears that an iPhone 3G tethering plan is back in the mix and is being considered worked on at AT&T. What’s the big issue with a tethering plan that’s causing all this ruckus? It is now being reported that an insider at AT&T is citing network stability issues as the reason for the delays. Of course AT&T customers using a variety of other smartphones have access to tethering plans, but the source cites the enormous number of iPhone users as a potential problem. Apparently Big Blue isn’t overly confident and fears that its network might buckle under the added stress of iPhone 3G tethering. What’s kind of sad in all this is we doubt even 5-10% of iPhone 3G users nation-wide would opt for a tethering plan. If network stability is indeed the issue, it’s a sad state of affairs when the gradual adoption of a tethering plan by such a small percentage of iPhone users would throw things out of wack.
That’s why AT&T is the best. Gotta love their faulty, weak network.
knowing at&t the iPhone teathering plan would be real expensive anyways so I don’t think I’d go with it that olo computer idea seems better if it ever pans out
The iPhone is undoutedly popular not to mention starting to be used by those formerly only BlackBerry thanks to Exchange Access.
AT&T could potentially also see a loss of revenue as users start to migrate away from the $ 60 per month standalone data plans in lieu of the cheaper PAM options.
I get the impression that the at&t 3G network is more of a dog and pony show than anything. It wasn’t until the iPhone exposed its flaws and obvious weaknesses that the PR guys tried to play down the issue while the network guys scrambled to patch things up here and there.
People are starting to use wireless data for more than the occasional ringtone or wallpaper download. MaBell needs to work hard to improve the quality and reliability of their wireless network and not just focus on numbers to make quarterly results look good.
Blah! I don’t think it’s AT&T’s network at all. ATT wants you to buy their laptop connect cards instead of using a iPhone. If they didn’t think their network could handle the traffic, they wouldn’t be running those damn 3G connect commercials.
I think the issue is more like: How do they charge you for tethering when you really are tethering? Is that $30 “unlimited” plan really unlimited? (The answer is likely, no.)
For Apple and AT&T, this is a flattering problem to have. What other carrier is hesitant to release a tethering option for a consumer smartphone in fear of too much adoption? IMHO, solving this “dilemma” will entitle Apple and AT&T to some bragging rights.
Big Blue is IBM not AT&T
They’re worried the network might buckle? It already does! At least in my experience. I think all the iPhone 3Gs in the network are already a huge burden on a network that doesn’t seem to be keeping up as fast as it should. I would be worried too.
yea, network wasn’t built up enough in a lot of areas when the iphone3g came out. They are working on that though, 850 overlays etc. More and more of their handsets are 3G now as well, which will enable them to flop more resources to 3G from GSM (spectrum etc.).
3G works great where i live though, woot.
So…..is this another piece of the puzzle as to why the Blackberry Bold was delayed for so long? Are the AT&T fanboys ready to admit that AT&T has had some major problems since the iPhone launch? Anyone want to blame RIM and RIM only again?
(pathetic)
AT&T still has the issue here where it bounces between 3G and EDGE while maintaining their record of dropping calls or audio distortion even with full signal.
Ironically, this doesn’t always happen during the first 30 days of your 2 year contract. Usually you’ll notice it by month 2 but your already committed your life away unless you want to pony up the ETF.
I just wish they’d enhance the 3G network at least for us data users. I like the idea of simultaneous voice/data but its benefits won’t be realized as long as the network is run on scraps.
At&t is just now figuring out their network sucks ass? Guess they missed all the reports about horrible 3g coverage with the Iphone.
Maybe they will have rolling service blackouts! lol
“…as one network engineer told me, “the dirty little secret of cellular data is that two customers with Slingboxes can take down an entire EVDO cell…”
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4246037.html
For those in the loop, you can already “tether” any iPhone as long as its jailbroken. Now, if you start using up tons of data, then AT&T might shut you down. On a related side note- has anyone using a 1st gen iPhone data plan on a 3G iPhone been having issues over the last month? I’ve been losing service from an hour to a day or so over the last month. When I pop my sim back into my 1st gen, no issues. When I pop my sim into another 3G iPhone, no problems. I’m starting to wonder if AT&T is crunching phone imei’s out there and blocking certain ones. I have also continued to get the AT&T texts regarding the fact that I don’t have a data plan, when in fact I do, just not a 3G plan. As far as I’m concerned the upgrades that the 3G iPhone have are worth switching, but if I keep it in EDGE mode, then what does AT&T have to worry about. If I want 3G, then i’ll pay the price if I have to use it.
Even Bill Kurtis is surprised to find the internet on AT&T’s network.
People, there is no vacant spectrum lying around. So they had to shut down AMPS TDMA, clear spectrum, move around huge loads of GSM traffic from 850 to 1900 without losing coverage etc. etc. before they can add capacity on 3G. It cannot happen overnight. I would say iPhone 3G came 6 months too early because Stevie was getting worried about the declining 2G sales.
For the largest carrier AT&T sure does sound like they have the smallest network with its inability to handle the iPhone and whatever comes with it. They should stop worrying about iPhone tethering, build up their network so people won’t complain and finally release the Bold so people WON’T COMPLAIN.
I think what att needs to do is charge 70 to 80 maybe even 90 dollars for an iphone pam plan. Reason one is that it will discourage a lot of people from doing it even if it is available, releiving alot of the network collapse fear. Two, Iphone users will likely pay the fee because they are heavy users or soon to become, who are used to paying premium prices. Whether it be the unsubsidized price of the 1st gen Iphone or the higher price for the monthly charge of the 3G. Three, Iphones are responsible for more data traffic than any other device on att, which leads me into reason four. How does att cap the data? I’m sure many Iphones are pushing the 2GB maybe 3GB limit already. As many of you know the mobile safari is the only browser on att that does not compress data. Not only can the handheld user already access more data in fewer trips to the browser than most other devices, but now they access it from their laptop which will pile on alot more data. So what does att do? Do they hold the cap at 5GB? Do they make tethering a seperate add on and cap it at 5GB while leaving handheld data in its current “unlimited” state? Or do they raise the cap limit to say 6-10GB? I highly doubt att would begin cutting Iphone users loose for exceeding the cap limit anyway. I myself have one question. The iphone doesn’t mulitask so why would you want to do it? The Iphone would drop your data session as soon as a call came in. You’d be dowloading your attachment in a meeting or something and then your mom calls at the 90 percent download mark.
. These are just my thoughts I don’t own an Iphone ,but I do tether and understand how convenient it is to have. Especially when you need to access a page written in standards that the phone’s browser doesn’t support. Or in the case of the Iphone, will never support *cough* flash. I think alot of the issues are just contol or “data mangament” related. It’s examples like this that only prove that flash and sling are on the outside of a walled garden looking in.
if you have a jailbroken iPhone, use cydia and get pdaNET.
ad-hoc tethering which isn’t amazing but it does the job. and cuz it’s a jailbroken app it runs in the background. and it’s not a weird hold the phone at a 200 degree angle say 7 hailmarys and chant the Qumran backwards type of methods people have been posting on the internet.
i like tethering and most people i encounter figure their iphone can do it without any problem, and since they believe that it leads me to believe the never actually tried to do it and that means they don’t need it.
att would rather have you shell out ANOTHER 60 on top of your iphone 30 to get laptop internet.
i would think that if you’re as “in the know” as you say you would know that the network was only partially to blame
the iphone 3g was horrible in the way it communicated with the network (hence the 2.1 software) but didn’t get tested very much before launch because, after all, it was the iphone
do you think att was ever going to try to delay the release of the iphone to get it to work right?
yup, already said that earlier
And yet, they are welcome to offer tethering on the Bold.
iPhone users don’t want to tether as much as others… why? Because we have awesome web browsing already. Why tether as much as others would.
I loved my Q9h, but I do more browsing than other things on my phone. I love my iPhone more for the web browsing capabilities I have than anything else. It’s a minicomputer to me. I don’t need to tether my computer.
And yes – 3G does rock, but it can be bogged down. It’s not a push of the data cards, it’s a push to not tie up the network.
iPhone 3G had enough problems (AT&T activations and Apple’s MobileMe) with it’s servers at launch, we didn’t need a third problem on top of that!
Sell it and then catch up on towers has always been the menatality of cell phone companies
Really?? 3G is that bad for you?? I live in California (Los Angeles), and I streamed the entire election on 3G on my SlingPlayer Mobile without any problems!?? And California is supposed to be “going belly up” (according to BGR even)…?
mobiTV, XM also stream beautifully. I tethered as heavily as I ever have, and the speed is exceptional. I have the Treo Pro and the Blackberry Bold, both 3G phones. dslreports gets me anywhere between 550 to 950kb/s, and tethered a speed test and got a consistent 1.6Mbps down.
Am I just lucky? I can’t believe that I’ve been lucky all this time (ten years!). Where I lived previous to this, I had no 3G indoors, granted, but even with ONE bar, I got 950kbps again.
Is it really that bad?
I don’t think of iphone users as ones that would tether. Blackberry users yes.
Plus I agree with what was said earlier that the iphone makes it possible not to have to have a laptop. Of course I’m no expert.