Originally Posted by
KC10 FATboy
I'm not going to argue with you. Do a simple Google search on AT&T and Bandwidth and you'll see the mountain of articles about AT&T's bandwidth problem due to the iPhone and more importantl how they are addressing it in the future (proposed usage data plans). Don't hate the messenger.
AT&T considers incentives to curb heavy data usage | Signal Strength - CNET News
I know you guys love your iPhones, it's a great product. But make no mistake, AT&T had no idea how successful it would become, more importantly, how much bandwidth they'd use. Because of that, their signal, call, and bandwidth reliability is suffering signifcantly. Their 3G network is woefully lacking coverage. As they struggle to implement more 3G coverage, other carriers have developed and are in the process of building newer, faster, and more capable 4G networks. My stupid Razor phone 4 years ago could send video and pictures in MMS without going to external sites to download. The iPhone / AT&T recently just got that with the latest version of the iPhone. They are behind on their network and everybody knows it.
But I know, Apple is God and everything they do is golden. Remember when Microsoft helped bail them out and extended a financial lifeline? How ironic. They love this closed source crap for their products. Just imagine how many iPhone users there would be if you could buy legally and use on other networks?
Online NewsHour: Microsoft sinks $150 million into Apple -- August 6, 1997
I know. My second job is tied in tightly to this industry. You are right in worrying, but they will not pull the trigger.
Bandwidth is really only a problem for them in the digital gulches...NYC, SFO, LAX and some smaller college towns with lots of 18-24 y/o's and low data capacity. They have kicked around a couple of ideas...going so far as to tell people that they could no longer order order iphones in the 5 boroughs, just to see how it would fly. It was a led balloon and was chalked up as a mistake a few days later.
That CNET article was back in Dec. Many things have transpired in the industry since then. ATT recently committed close to 1.5bn to infrastructure upgrades, in order to appease apple and have them stay w/ att and not jump to verizon or offer both to consumers w/ iPad.
It could happen still, but it would go against their pricing schemes for iPad, which would run counter to every other business model out there right now. The secret ally in all of this for the consumer is Apple. Because the last thing they want is their products to be associated with such pricing schemes. It also would decrease consumption over 3G at the iTunes and AppStore...which they really don't want.
Sorry for the digression everyone....
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now...What was that about hiring ACL, anyone else?? Been out of the jet since the 7th...need good line rumor control to fill me in.