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AT&T confirms wireless ‘disruption’ today

March 25th, 2010, 5:05 pm by

FYI: For Orange County AT&T mobile users who had unusually spotty service today, it’s all been fixed, the company said.

“Due to an equipment issue earlier this afternoon, some area AT&T customers may have experienced wireless service disruption. AT&T technicians resolved the issue at approximately 3:45 p.m. PT. We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers,” said the company.

I’m not an iPhone or AT&T customer, but I heard that some people had major issues with 3G Internet today. If issues continue, let me know.

More on cell phone service:

Posted in: Cell phones • iPhone • • • • | 13 Comments »

T-Mobile ‘hoping’ to offer iPhone this year, says report

March 18th, 2010, 5:20 pm by

Spotted: Add another iPhone rumor to the list. The Financial Times is reporting that T-Mobile may end AT&T’s lock on the Apple iPhone later this year.

René Obermann, chief executive of T-Mobile USA’s German parent Deutsche Telekom, told the publication that the company is focusing on mobile Internet. And then there’s this sentence buried at the bottom:

The iPhone has provided AT&T with strong revenue growth, and T-Mobile USA is hoping to start selling the popular smartphone later this year or next year.

But are the two connected? Did Obermann really say during the FT interview that T-Mobile will offer the iPhone this year? It would seem that way based on how the story was written. But why bury this juicy nugget?

It could be that it’s because in Germany, T-Mobile sells the iPhone. So perhaps the German-based reporter didn’t think a direct quote from Obermann was crucial.

However, this isn’t the first time T-Mobile has appeared as a possible iPhone vendor. In December, Thomas Weisel analyst Doug Reid said he believed T-Mobile would be next and not Verizon Wireless, as others have long theorized.  Why T-Mobile?  ”Apple wants to move away from exclusivity; T-Mobile achieves this for Apple in the U.S.,” Reid wrote.

T-Mobile also uses the same wireless technology as AT&T so an iPhone doesn’t need a complete hardware overhaul to join the T-Mobile network.

I guess we’ll find out this fall whether there’s any truth to the story.

From the web:

Posted in: Apple mania • Cell phones • iPhone • • • | 13 Comments »

Crappy Internet? Tell the government

March 12th, 2010, 3:30 pm by

A new mobile app lets consumers test how fast their phone or home’s Internet connection is — or isn’t.

The app’s owner? The U.S. Federal Communications Commission. As part of that National Broadband plan, the FCC wants consumers to be informed about what their broadband availability is and help contribute to the FCC’s Broadband Dead Zone Report.

“Transparency empowers consumers, promotes innovation and investment, and encourages competition,” said Chairman Julius Genachowski. “The FCC’s new digital tools will arm users with real-time information about their broadband connection and the agency with useful data about service across the country. By informing consumers about their broadband service quality, these tools help eliminate confusion and make the market work more effectively.”

The app, called the Consumer Broadband Test, measures speed and latency and reports it back to the FCC. It’s available in the Apple and Android app stores. There’s also a Web version at www.broadband.gov.

No broadband Internet? Consumers can also submit their results to the FCC by e-mail at fccinfo@fcc.gov, telephone, 888-CALL-FCC, or snail mail addressed to:

Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau,
ATTN: Broadband Dead Zone Reporting
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554

One note: By taking the test, you’re giving the FCC some personal info including your IP address and home address.  Read the privacy statement.

More on the web:

Posted in: Cell phones • Internet • iPhone • • • • • • • • | 12 Comments »

AT&T improves iPhone 3G coverage in 6 O.C. spots

January 14th, 2010, 3:05 pm by

AT&T WirelessLocal iPhone users rejoice: AT&T has added 26 more 3G cell sites in the area, including six in Orange County.

The cell sites should improve wireless coverage for 3G phone users indoors and out.  In Orange County, the new sites are near these intersections:

  • Anaheim: Near the intersection of Stage Coach Road and Nohl Ranch Road
  • Anaheim: Near the intersection of W. Lincoln Ave. and N. Gilbert St.
  • Anaheim: Near the intersection of Gene Autry Way and State College Blvd.
  • Placentia: Near the intersection of S. Fee Ana Street and Orangethorpe Ave.
  • Santa Ana: Near the intersection of Newport Blvd. and Rockhurst Ave.
  • Garden Grove: Near the intersection of Garden Grove Blvd. and Magnolia St.

Does this affect you? Comment below and tell AT&T if these areas are really better, or tell them what intersection to hit next.

Nationwide, AT&T has been upgrading cell sites everywhere to get ready for even faster Internet, called High-Speed Packet Access or HSPA 7.2. The faster speeds are scheduled to begin later this year and next year.

Other Southern California cities included in the batch of new 3G cell sites include the following: Los Angeles, Ontario, Glendale, Santa Fe Springs, Calabasas, Northridge, Corona, Rialto, Redlands, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Bakersfield and Oxnard.

More on cell coverage in Orange County:

Posted in: Cell phones • iPhone • • • • • • • • • | 49 Comments »

Coming soon: Dish to let users watch TV online

January 11th, 2010, 12:20 pm by

Dish Network at CES 2010: TV EverywhereUPDATED, 4:09 p.m.: The new box is available to all customers, not just new ones, as I was originally told. However, there will likely be a fee. No announcement yet on how much.
——————————————

While a big part of the Consumer Electronics Show focused on 3D television, Dish Network focused on a better way to watch the TV you pay for with the new TV Everywhere service.

No, this isn’t the same TV Everywhere that the cable TV companies are pushing (Dish says it’s pursuing a trademark).

However, the two TV Everywhere’s are similar. The idea behind the separate services is that if you’re a paying TV customer, you should get access to those shows online and on TV.

The big difference? Cable TV’s version may not include every TV channel you pay for in your cable plan. Dish’s does, said Vivek Khemkeh Khemka (corrected 2:56 p.m.), Dish’s vice president of customer technology.

“The key message of TV Everywhere is that you pay once for your TV and you can get it everywhere you want,” Khemka  said.

By everywhere, Khemka  means online, from any computer, from compatible mobile phones and on a second TV in the house that may not have a receiver.

Dish Networks' TV Everywhere ViP722k HD DVR with built-in Slingbox.How does it work? Slingbox. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: iPhone • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • | 9 Comments »

iPhone service outage? There’s an app for that

December 8th, 2009, 8:37 am by

AT&T Mark the Spot app to report reception issues.Noted: AT&T has been criticized heavily for poor reception among iPhone 3G wireless users. Now, the company wants iPhone users to help them detect weaknesses. With an app.

The free AT&T Mark the Spot app allows customers to notify the company when they’re in a bum area. The customer just presses a button to indicate the nature of the issue, adds notes and sends it to AT&T. You can download the app from iTunes HERE.

While AT&T is on track to invest $17 billion to $18 billion in its wireless network, the company said that using crowd sourcing to determine network weaknesses will speed up improvements.

Of course by offering such an app, AT&T is getting reamed by some users:

“You have no service from AT&T and you’re supposed to notify AT&T of no service on AT&T with an app that needs AT&T service to let them know there’s no service on AT&T? What’s wrong with this picture?” was one of many similar user comments.

Still, at least AT&T is putting itself out there. And one independent testing firm says that AT&T’s reputation for an inferior network is just perception. Perhaps AT&T should add a feature to the app to that informs users when the location is fixed or upgraded?

At the moment, the service is only for iPhone customers but AT&T said versions for other smartphones are expected in coming months.

Earlier stories on cell phone services:

Posted in: Apple mania • iPhone • Video & TV • • • • • • • | Comments Off

AT&T adds 240k U-verse customers, millions of iPhone users

October 22nd, 2009, 12:33 pm by

AT&TAT&T offered another update on the health of its U-verse TV and Internet service in this morning’s quarterly earnings report. It’s still growing!

The company added 240,000 net new TV customers, which brings the number of U-verse subscribers to 1.8 million nationwide. That’s up 1 million customers from the same time last year.

More than three-fourths of U-verse TV subscribers also purchase Internet, home phone or wireless phone service from AT&T. See the chart on the lower right for the growth of U-verse customers in the past year.

U-verse is offered in several Orange County cities. But as many residents know, that doesn’t mean you can order service. In some cities, the company has been unable to get permits to place large utility boxes in neighborhoods. For more details, see my earlier series of stories about AT&T’s struggles in seven Orange County cities – Cypress, Dana Point, Irvine, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, San Clemente and Tustin.

AT&T's U-verse subscriber growth, third quarter 2009Still, in the 225 cities where service is available, 20 million households nationwide can order service. With around 1.8 million paying customers, the U-verse penetration is approximately 12 percent. In California, U-verse is available to 3 million homes and businesses.

Combined with customers who order satellite TV service, AT&T had 4 million video customers.

As for high-speed U-verse Internet, AT&T added 252,000 net new subscribers during the third quarter. That helped the loss of at least 162,000 DSL customers. Combining its U-verse, DSL and 3G wireless Internet customers, AT&T had 17.1 million broadband customers by the end of the quarter, up 138,000 customers during the quarter.

For those keeping track of Apple iPhone users, AT&T activated a whopping 3.2 million iPhones during the quarter. About 40 percent of the iPhone activations were customers new to AT&T. Overall, the company added 2 million wireless subscribers. While this makes it AT&T’s best third-quarter in five years, the company apparently lost a big chunk of customers. Still, AT&T ended the quarter with 81.6 million wireless customers.

The company made $3.2 billion (attributed to AT&T operations) on $30.9 billion in revenues. That was about the same as third-quarter last year, when AT&T made $3.2 billion on revenues of $31.3 billion.

More earnings news:

Posted in: iPhone • Video & TV • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

O.C., L.A. among first to get AT&T’s faster mobile broadband

September 9th, 2009, 3:07 pm by

AT&T WirelessFinally! AT&T confirms that Orange County (and Los Angeles) will be one of six regions nationwide to get faster mobile Internet before the end of the year.

The other five regions are Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Miami. (See earlier mention from May, ”7.2 Mbps Internet speeds coming to AT&T mobile this year.“)

The company doesn’t link the upgrade to negative reports from iPhone users. But AT&T mentions in a press release that its wireless traffic has quadrupled in the past year, and the upgrade is just “part of AT&T’s ongoing efforts to drive innovation and investment to lead the industry in delivering the benefits of smartphones and mobile broadband for customers.”

iPhone and other AT&T smartphone users can look forward to faster Internet, with speeds up to 7.2 megabits per second. That’s faster than some home broadband service.

But this isn’t the next generation 4G service being tested by Verizon and Sprint in other parts of the country. This is High Speed Packet Access 7.2, sometimes called Turbo 3G. AT&T’s plans to begin testing 4G (using Long Term Evolution technology, or LTE) next year and will offer 4G service in 2011.

HSPA requires a software upgrade. This is supported by souped-up cell sites, which are being linked by fiber-optic cables for to improve speeds.  HSPA is expected to be the fastest mobile broadband offered by any wireless company this year, said AT&T.

Theoretical speeds hit 7.2 mbps but that is with ideal conditions and usually in a lab. In reality, expect something slower. Just like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other wireless technologies, HSPA speeds are affected by location, the device and overall traffic on the wireless network.

AT&T plans to roll out the faster HSPA service to the rest of the nation by the end of 2010. By the end of 2011, 90 percent of its existing 3G network will get the HSPA boost.  As part of the launch, AT&T will offer six compatible smartphones plus two new LaptopConnect cards.

Recent 3G and 4G news:


Posted in: Cell phones • iPhone • • • • • • • | 11 Comments »

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