Archive for: AT&T
When AT&T announced that they were doing away with their unlimited plan back in the summer of 2010, it made us sad. Capped data just isn’t a good solution for customers. Some joy could be found, however, in the fact that unlimited data users could be grandfathered into the future with their free-for-all data plans after capped data plans took effect.
Fast forward a few months and then AT&T’s anti-consumer habits grew stronger; they started throttling customers on unlimited plans who were in the “top 5%” of data users on their network. Ok. Fair enough. How much is that? AT&T wouldn’t tell us. Eventually, AT&T relented that the throttling figure was a sliding number based on location and current network load at any given point in time — a very vague response that frankly gives them the ability to do whatever they want, when they want. Based off of numerous personal accounts on Twitter, Facebook, individual websites, forums, etc., the original throttling threshold was in the 4-5 GB range.
And now in early 2012 AT&T is once again taking another chance to screw us over by lowering the threshold for data throttling threshold further…
- January 24, 2012 11:29 pm
Curious as to just how much spectrum T-Mobile is walking away with thanks to AT&T’s failed attempt to take them over? GigaOM reader Andrew Shepherd whipped up the handy map you see above, complete with each and every market T-Mobile is gobbling up. That said, residents of the west coast should begin noticing better T-Mobile service in the not too distant future — that is if T-Mobile does in fact make use of the spectrum and doesn’t sit on it for some future project (read: LTE). Though, given how constrained T-Mobile’s network is these days — they’re #4 after all — we wouldn’t be surprised if they hopped on their good foot to get more coverage/performance out the door sooner rather than later.
Not a bad ending to an imperfect love story for T-Mobile at all. They get a ton of much needed spectrum worth ~$1 billion and ~$3 billion in cash.
In case you hadn’t heard, details regarding AT&T’s upcoming data plan revamp were leaked last night. For those that didn’t see it:
Smartphones
- 5 GB – $50/month (With mobile hotspot + tethering)
Tablets
While we’re slightly upbeat that we can now pay $5 more every month for 3 GB of data instead of $25 + $10 when we go over, it’s hardly a vicotry. What most people will gloss over is the fact that AT&T just made it $5 more expensive to own a smartphone on their network…
AT&T and HTC collectively unveiled their new (for the moment) flagship device, the HTC Titan II. Specs of the new hotness include a 4.7″ 480 x 800 Super LCD, single-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon processor, and 512 MB of RAM. LTE is of course standard while Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) is the flavor of choice.
More impressive than meager single-core, half a gig RAM, however, is the Titan II’s gargantuan 16 megapixel camera which includes auto-focus and dual-LED flash as well as an F2.2 lens and BSI sensor. (Translation: The Titan II should take some damn fine pictures.) HTC has also added their own software tweaks for the camera by way of panoramic and burst shot modes. Video buffs will enjoy the 720p video recording captured at 30fps. Battery life on the Titan II remains to be seen, though the 1,730 mAh battery should provide at least enough juice to make it through your typical day thanks to the single-core processor’s meager power needs.
We’re not going to lie. While Windows Phone 7 is awesome in terms of efficiency with regards to super smooth UI despite the single-core processors, we’re getting tired of the WVGA (480 x 800) displays — especially on devices as large as the Titan II. Hopefully we start seeing some more advancements on the Windows Phone front. While specs aren’t everything, they do keep people (namely us) interested.
Here that, AT&T customers? That’s the sound of wonderful LTE coverage being brought to life in your neck of the woods, that is, provided you live in one of AT&T’s newly launched markets:
- New York City (metro area), Austin, Chapel Hill, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose. Customes
While AT&T’s coverage count of 74 million Americans is still well underneath Verizon’s ~200 million, we’ll take it without any fuss. LTE is not only, simply a faster and better way to surf the mobile web, it should ultimately help offload traffic from AT&T’s saturated 3G network — a much more pressing issue we’d say.
If you live in one of the new markets above, be sure to drop us a line as to how it’s going!
- December 20, 2011 10:55 am
While AT&T begrudgingly heads back home wit a massive loss hanging over their heads, T-Mobile and parent company Deutsch Telekom are no doubt whipping out the bubbly. For starters, there’s the $3 billion immediate payout from AT&T. Though, it’s worth noting that Deutsch Telekom gets all this money to pay of debts. T-Mobile won’t receive even a single penny.
But there’s plenty for T-Mobile to be happy about too. First off, T-Mobile has acquired licenses for 128 new markets to use with their 1700 MHz AWS band. That translates into more coverage for their super speedy HSPA+ network and rollout. On top of that, T-Mobile has scored a 7-year UMTS roaming deal with AT&T, specifically for 850 MHz and 1900 MHz frequencies. (Perhaps that’s part of the reason for the recent unlocked T-Mobile iPhone’s hooking up to AT&T-flavored 3G bands, no?)
According to Deutsche Telekom, all the spectrum deals above will account for a nearly 20% rise in population coverage — from 230 million to 280 million U.S. residents.
So DK gets some money and T-Mobile walks away with more coverage and support for unlocked UMTS phones running on their network. Sounds like a sweet deal to us. Now if only they can turn the ship around and get people to sign up, maybe AT&T would be forced to play ball a bit more fairly.
- December 19, 2011 10:11 pm
Earlier tonight some of the best news we’ve heard in a long time popped up in our mailbox: AT&T’s bid to scoop up T-Mobile U.S.A had officially ended with the nation’s #1 GSM carrier formally withdrawing their takeover request.
The move comes after months of harsh courtroom and PR fighting by AT&T that, as we look back over the last half a year, didn’t really do anything to advance their position. From the get go consumer criticisms were high, though it took government bodies a few weeks to fall into line and condemn the merger themselves.
Now that AT&T and T-Mobile’s unholy union is officially dead, T-Mobile can walk home $4 billion richer while AT&T walks away empty handed and with a seemingly bruised ego. But it’s not exactly the end of AT&T + T-Mobile partnerships. While AT&T is no longer pursuing an actual T-Mobile purchase and takeover, it is believed the two will now form some sort of agreement that will see both parties sharing spectrum and resources more readily in the future. For now, however, we celebrate.
AT&T is unsurprisingly not too happy with the outcome as is evident by their official statement regarding the failed merger deal:
“The actions by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to block this transaction do not change the realities of the U.S. wireless industry. It is one of the most fiercely competitive industries in the world, with a mounting need for more spectrum that has not diminished and must be addressed immediately. The AT&T and T-Mobile USA combination would have offered an interim solution to this spectrum shortage. In the absence of such steps, customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled.”
As touched on above, future “partnerships” between AT&T and T-Mobile are likely, though what’s already towards the forefront of peoples’ minds is what exactly T-Mobile will do. Sure, they’ve now got $4 billion more in the bank, but such change is a mere pittance in the modern world of data gobbling smartphones sucking down profits left and right. T-Mobile hasn’t had much luck fending off the likes of AT&T, Verizon, and even Sprint over the last couple of years. Can they continue to go it alone?
It looks like no amount of AT&T/T-Mobile lobbying will net them an easy victory in Washington this time around. Reuters is reporting that Attorney General Eric Holder has told lawmakers the “people in the antitrust division are committed to seeing this through” — “this” of course being the ongoing AT&T/T-Mobile merger in the U.S. That’s a big win for U.S. cellular customers and not so much for T-Mobile/AT&T shareholders looking for a quick buck at consumers’ expense.
AT&T has already vocally stated they’re in this for the long haul. And now that the DoJ is showing they’re equally as steadfast in their position, it’s certain to be a long, courtroom filled journey for everyone involved.
Stay tuned…
AT&T was might confident that the various government bodies needed to pass their acquisition of T-Mobile USA was an easy shot. To more technically inclined people such as your and I, it was easy to see AT&T was facing a mountain of a challenge. And yet they continually said things were going relatively according to plan.
Today, however, it’s been (shockingly) revealed that AT&T’s courtroom battles aren’t going as easy as they thought — they are extending the timeframe in which they expected to close the T-Mobile merger by three extra months, putting any closing square in the middle of 2012.
Back in March of this year AT&T originally stated that they planned on closing the merger within one years time. Now they’ll be lucky if they squeak into the first half of 2012. But even then there’s still plenty of time for both supporters and opponents to gather their cases as the official trial doesn’t begin until February 13th of next year.
AT&T PR has been working in overdrive trying to convince people (and government) that the merger will actually benefit things other than their (AT&T’s) bank account. Have they made a believer out of you yet?
