AT&T Sets the Record Straight on Verizon Ads

To Our Customers:

As the U.S. market leader in wireless data service, we typically don’t respond to competitors’ advertising. However, some recent ads from Verizon are so blatantly false and misleading, that we want to set the record straight about AT&T’s wireless data coverage.

The key facts are:

AT&T’s wireless data coverage reaches 303 million people — or 97% of the U.S. population, where they live and work. Our data coverage consists of 3 different types of technology:

    * 3G. 233 million people or 75% of the population are covered by AT&T’s 3G network, the nation’s fastest.

    * EDGE. 301 million people or more than 96% of the population are covered by EDGE.
         o With both 3G and EDGE coverage, customers can access the Internet, send e-mail, surf the Web, stream music, download videos, send photos, text, talk and more. The only difference – with some data applications, 3G is faster than EDGE

    * GPRS. Covers 303 million people, allowing you to talk, text, e-mail and access basic websites optimized for wireless.

AT&T is the #1 network for smartphones, with twice the number of smartphone customers than Verizon, our closest competitor. Some of the reasons include:

Most popular smartphones. Unlike Verizon, AT&T offers the most popular smartphones in the industry.

More wireless apps. Unlike Verizon, AT&T customers have access to more than 100,000 applications, more than with any other wireless company.

Talk and E-mail at the same time. Unlike Verizon, AT&T’s 3G network lets wireless customers simultaneously talk and surf the web or do e-mail.

Fastest 3G in the nation. Unlike Verizon, AT&T has the nation’s fastest 3G network.

Thank you for allowing us to set the record straight. We appreciate your business and will continue to work hard to deliver the best wireless data experience in the industry.

Your AT&T Team

View the original letter on att.com.

This historical setting allows Verizon to compare its entire data network against just the faster portion of AT&T’s 3G mobile data network while ignoring AT&T’s existing 2.5G network that approaches Verizon’s EVDO in speed. By only comparing the newest segment of AT&T’s network, Verizon can advertise “3G maps” that are technically accurate, but grossly misleading to users who want to obtain data service to download email and access the web.

It also appears that Verizon is counting its service areas providing less than Rev A service as part of its 3G coverage, when in fact these deliver about the same performance as AT&T’s EDGE service.

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Below are a few quotes from the Third-Quarter Results. You can view the full report HERE.

“4.3 million postpaid 3G integrated wireless devices added to AT&T’s network, the largest quarterly increase in the company’s history; integrated device growth included 3.2 million iPhone activations, also the company’s largest quarterly total to date”

“Retail postpaid net adds totaled 1.4 million — the second highest third-quarter total in the company’s history, behind only the third quarter of 2008, which included a strong iPhone 3G launch — and were up 20.1 percent versus results in the second quarter of this year.”

“Record iPhone Activations. AT&T’s third-quarter integrated device growth included 3.2 million iPhone activations, also the company’s largest quarterly total to date, with nearly 40 percent of the activations for customers who were new to AT&T.”

Vonage just announced their app for the iPhone yesterday that allows discounted international calls. AT&T’s recent announcement doesn’t seem to have effected the status of the Google Voice application.

Ruth Milkman, Chief
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
Washington DC 20554

Re: AT&T Response to Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Letter, DA 09-1737 (July 31, 2009); RM-11361; RM-11497

Dear Ms. Milkman:

On behalf of AT&T, I am writing to provide you with an update to AT&T’s August 21, 2009 response to the Bureau’s questions about the Apple iPhone. In our response, we explained that AT&T currently offers a variety of devices that enable VoIP applications to make use of our wireless network (including our 2G and 3G capabilities) and the devices’ Wi-Fi connectivity. We further explained that the iPhone currently supports VoIP applications that make use of the device’s Wi-Fi connectivity, but VoIP capabilities were not available on the iPhone for use on our wireless network. We also stated that we were taking a fresh look at the issue and would promptly notify the Commission of any such change in our policies. AT&T has completed its review of the matter and today we informed Apple that, effective immediately, AT&T consents to Apple enabling third-party VoIP applications for the iPhone that use our wireless network, including our 2G and 3G capabilities.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Robert W. Quinn, Jr.

Picture and video messaging now available on iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS
Now with MMS support from AT&T, iPhone 3G and 3GS customers can send any type of message – text, photos, audio, video, and more.

Start Messaging
To enable MMS messaging, connect your iPhone to your computer and click “Check for Update” in iTunes. Once the update is completed, restart your iPhone by turning it off then on again. Note that iPhone OS 3.1 is required so you may need to update your software first.

For more information about enabling MMS on your iPhone, visit the Apple support site.

NOTE: MMS messaging is only available for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. Original iPhone customers will continue to use www.viewmymessage.com to receive picture messages.

Messaging Plans available for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS
For individuals
Unlimited: $20
1500 Messages: $15
200 Messages: $5

For FamilyTalk
Unlimited: $30

Pay Per Use
$0.20 per text message
$0.30 per picture or video message

Prices are billed monthly and are valid for use in the U.S. only. Messaging plans may be cancelled at any time. Charges for international messages sent from the U.S. are $0.25 for Text Messages and $0.50 for Picture/Video Messages. Charges for usage while roaming internationally: $0.50 for each text message sent, and $1.30 for each picture/video message sent. Additional charges for premium messages and content apply. For full details on Messaging & Data Plans, go to www.att.com/dataterms.

See more info HERE.

In order to get the iPhone 3G at the refurbished price it requires a $30/mo data package & 2yr Service Agreement.

Check HERE for availability near you.

Original Tweet:
While supplies last: new pricing @ AT&T stores 4 iPhone 3G refurb devices! Black 8GB – $49, 16GB – $99 black/white.

Let us know in the comments if you have received your text from AT&T yet… I haven’t!

The “view my message” experience is the current method used by AT&T that allows iPhone users to view MMS messages by providing them with a temporary username and password which must be signed into using a computer and the MMS is then displayed in flash.

Text Message:

AT&T Free Msg: Picture & video messaging (MMS) will be available for iPhone on 9/25. While we prepare your account for MMS capability, the current “view my message” experience will be turned off but your ability to send and receive text messages will not be affected.

Original post here.

AT&T blocked MMS on the iPhone when firmware 3.0 was available from Apple. Firmware 3.0 has always supported MMS, that’s why when we had the 3.0 Beta we have screenshots showing how MMS worked, but the messages would never go through because AT&T had it blocked by entering an “opt-out” code. Not to mention many other carriers through out the world started supporting MMS when 3.0 was released when AT&T did not.

AT&T has recently announced that they would finally be releasing MMS to the iPhone on Sept 25th, 2009. How will they do this? First, AT&T needs to remove all the opt-out codes they added to accounts to block MMS when 3.0 was released. This is rumored to be part of the reason of the delay in MMS, but it’s also because the iPhone is a heavy bandwidth device and AT&T needed time to upgrade it’s network to handle the addition of MMS. Next Apple will push a carrier update from AT&T to iTunes. This is not a normal firmware update. Once you update, you will see the little camera in your text messaging and will be able to send pictures along with video, contacts and map locations.

Now the question is, how are people getting this early? Simple, they are getting the code early, running iTunes is a mode designed more for Apple engineers than the average user, and uploading it to their iPhone. But, that’s not all that it takes. AT&T still has to remove the opt-out code on your account. That’s why some people can run the hack and still not have MMS. There is nothing you can do but wait for AT&T to get to your account and remove the code. If you want to know how to get the code early and update your iPhone’s carrier file, check out this article I recently wrote about it.

So, for all of you who’ve been writing about “AT&T Releasing iPhone MMS Early”, please get your facts straight. Why? Because you’re giving everyone false hope that some how their iPhone is going to automatically get MMS between now and September 25th without them doing anything. It’s just not true. It’s a hack. Even in a recent interview with AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel by USA Today, he said, “Sept. 25th is still the date…” “We can’t comment on what people might be doing” to get MMS in the meantime.

And, for those of you who are waiting for September 25th, you are going to have to connect to iTunes to update the carrier file on that day. It won’t just start working on it’s own. If you have any questions about this, please ask them in the comments and I will try to clear things up. And if I’m wrong about any of this, please let me know and we’ll make sure everyone gets the right info.