Comments on: AT&T wants to sell you better coverage http://www.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:52:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: James Hafer http://www.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage/comment-page-1#comment-19217 James Hafer Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:54:51 +0000 http://new.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage#comment-19217 An extra $20 a month is ridiculous. Your neighbors should be able to use it too, and for that, they should be paying you in some kind of rev-share arrangement for extending their network. An extra $20 a month is ridiculous. Your neighbors should be able to use it too, and for that, they should be paying you in some kind of rev-share arrangement for extending their network.

]]> By: Michael Sitarzewski http://www.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage/comment-page-1#comment-19216 Michael Sitarzewski Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:26:41 +0000 http://new.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage#comment-19216 I think what everyone is missing is that they're only charging for UNLIMITED phone calls. All this thing does is put a 3G tower in your house. There's no service fee for that, just the cost of the hardware. If you want *an additional service* (unlimited calling) then it's $20/mo. If you don't pay the $20/mo then you use your minutes as your existing plan dictates. Verizon doesn't do 3G with theirs, and it's $100 more up front. <a href="http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/09/21/atandts-3g-microcell-runs-150-in-charlotte-trial-service-is-fre/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/09/21/atandts-...</a> I think what everyone is missing is that they're only charging for UNLIMITED phone calls. All this thing does is put a 3G tower in your house. There's no service fee for that, just the cost of the hardware. If you want *an additional service* (unlimited calling) then it's $20/mo. If you don't pay the $20/mo then you use your minutes as your existing plan dictates. Verizon doesn't do 3G with theirs, and it's $100 more up front.

http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/09/21/atandts-…

]]> By: sethlevine http://www.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage/comment-page-1#comment-19225 sethlevine Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:32:05 +0000 http://new.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage#comment-19225 it seems like the strong feedback from this post is that 1) people would pay for the hardware and 2) they think it’s bs that AT&T is charging for the “service”. i completely agree with your thought below – AT&T could have easily turned this into a PR positive instead of just another think they f’ed up…<br /> it seems like the strong feedback from this post is that 1) people would pay for the hardware and 2) they think it’s bs that AT&T is charging for the “service”. i completely agree with your thought below – AT&T could have easily turned this into a PR positive instead of just another think they f’ed up…

]]> By: Stephen http://www.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage/comment-page-1#comment-19221 Stephen Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:28:12 +0000 http://new.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage#comment-19221 A lot of smart phones (BB Curve 8900 for example) already are enabled to route calls over Wifi to the wireless provider's network, through a technology call UMA. TMobile lets users use UMA for free. I'm appalled that AT&T thinks its appropriate to charge this much money for something that actually alleviates traffic on their network. With the way things are going with VoIP and Google Voice, it just doesn't make any sense to charge for this and alienate customers. They should use this functionality as a selling point for their network (commonly viewed as sub-standard) over their competitors like Verizon. A lot of smart phones (BB Curve 8900 for example) already are enabled to route calls over Wifi to the wireless provider's network, through a technology call UMA. TMobile lets users use UMA for free. I'm appalled that AT&T thinks its appropriate to charge this much money for something that actually alleviates traffic on their network. With the way things are going with VoIP and Google Voice, it just doesn't make any sense to charge for this and alienate customers. They should use this functionality as a selling point for their network (commonly viewed as sub-standard) over their competitors like Verizon.

]]> By: sethlevine http://www.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage/comment-page-1#comment-19224 sethlevine Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:26:05 +0000 http://new.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage#comment-19224 yes – “we’re doing this great thing for our customers . . . which happens to benefit us a whole lot more than it does them . . .”<br /> yes – “we’re doing this great thing for our customers . . . which happens to benefit us a whole lot more than it does them . . .”

]]> By: Sean http://www.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage/comment-page-1#comment-19220 Sean Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:17:57 +0000 http://new.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage#comment-19220 This reminds me of Warner Bros' announcement of their move to distribute their movies via Bit Torrent. It made them seem hip/progressive at first glance. In actuality they were just transferring their distribution costs to their consumers. This reminds me of Warner Bros' announcement of their move to distribute their movies via Bit Torrent. It made them seem hip/progressive at first glance. In actuality they were just transferring their distribution costs to their consumers.

]]> By: sethlevine http://www.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage/comment-page-1#comment-19632 sethlevine Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:32:05 +0000 http://new.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage#comment-19632 well put!<br /> well put!

]]> By: Chris Kilmer http://www.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage/comment-page-1#comment-19215 Chris Kilmer Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:29:48 +0000 http://new.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage#comment-19215 Skype over wifi is fine if all you are doing is making outgoing calls. What if you want to be able to accept calls? Leave your Skype iPhone app running all the time? Pay extra to get a dedicated Skype number that forwards to your iPhone? Tell people that you want them to call you on Skype between 5-7 pm and on your mobile number between 9-5? Skype's dedicated numbers aren't reliable. I live in the mountains and AT&T's mobile coverage is dismal. I would pay the $120 for the device no problem. But an extra $20 a month for a service that I should already be getting? "You can pay $120/month if you want the service or you can pay $140/month if you actually want the service to work"! Hey AT&T, go to hell! As soon as we get other providers up high, I'm leaving AT&T. Skype over wifi is fine if all you are doing is making outgoing calls. What if you want to be able to accept calls? Leave your Skype iPhone app running all the time? Pay extra to get a dedicated Skype number that forwards to your iPhone? Tell people that you want them to call you on Skype between 5-7 pm and on your mobile number between 9-5? Skype's dedicated numbers aren't reliable.

I live in the mountains and AT&T's mobile coverage is dismal. I would pay the $120 for the device no problem. But an extra $20 a month for a service that I should already be getting? “You can pay $120/month if you want the service or you can pay $140/month if you actually want the service to work”!

Hey AT&T, go to hell! As soon as we get other providers up high, I'm leaving AT&T.

]]> By: sethlevine http://www.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage/comment-page-1#comment-19222 sethlevine Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:57:08 +0000 http://new.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage#comment-19222 or google voice! oh . . . wait a minute . . . at&t has managed to block that app so far . . . <br /> or google voice! oh . . . wait a minute . . . at&t has managed to block that app so far . . .

]]> By: sethlevine http://www.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage/comment-page-1#comment-19223 sethlevine Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:56:06 +0000 http://new.sethlevine.com/wp/2009/09/att-wants-to-sell-you-better-coverage#comment-19223 1-it’s fun to pick on AT&T because their network coverage is so bad and 2-they’re charging an incremental fee for the “service”, which is BS. while i don’t object to their charging for the device the face that they are using it to sell landline service (it’s free with that bundle) and charging incrementally all of their other users for it is BS (Verizon, for example, does not charge an incremental service charge for their similar device).<br /> 1-it’s fun to pick on AT&T because their network coverage is so bad and 2-they’re charging an incremental fee for the “service”, which is BS. while i don’t object to their charging for the device the face that they are using it to sell landline service (it’s free with that bundle) and charging incrementally all of their other users for it is BS (Verizon, for example, does not charge an incremental service charge for their similar device).

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