 LinklistPremium
join:2002-03-03
Longport, NJ
kudos:5
1 edit | Customers understand upgrading a network is hard & expensive And don't forget time consuming. But I don't agree that most customers understand that at all. Most think big network changes can be accomplished in months if not quicker. Few realize that the kind of upgrades being discussed here take years to accomplish.
A legitimate complaint would be that AT&T probably didn't listen to their strategic planning group which I have no doubt foresaw all this growth occurring several years ago. But most corporations don't listen to their strategic planning groups. They listen much more closely to their financial planners.
From AT&T a number they should have designed for and didn't:»www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=1574Wireless use on our network has grown an average of 350 percent year-over-year for the past two years, and is projected to continue at a rapid pace in 2009 and beyond. --
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page |
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 en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA
1 edit | That's because... He's a PR fanboy.
His PR message about being a lot of work doesn't cut it.
Many areas have had 3G 1900 for a while.. AT&T could have saved itself a LOT of work (and most likely cost) by having installed enough capacity at the start. 3G 1900 in L.A. was horribly overloaded from day 1, and literally blew up when 3g iPhone was deployed. 1 year afterward inital 3G deployment, 3G 850 came into existance.
In other markets, such as S.F., NYC, where 3G was deployed at least 2 years earlier, they're just getting around to adding more capacity now.
To add insult to injury, they felt that it was 'ok' to B.S. most users and request that they replace SIM cards, phone exchange. During the first 3 months after iPhone 3G went live in my location, I had my 3G Samsung exchanged under warranty 3x, as I could not hold calls for more than 1 minute. The nearest cell site is less than 1/3 mile. It wouldn't matter if I was standing in front of the cell site, with -36dBm signal...no capacity = dropped calls.
Canada = Hollywood North |
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en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | reply to Linklist
Re: Customers understand upgrading a network is hard & expensive said by Linklist:But most corporations don't listen to their strategic planning groups. They listen much more closely to their financial planners. I agree 100%.
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Canada = Hollywood North |
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Isn't the point that iPhone users are paying for services they do not have? That would make me angry, for sure. |
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AVonGaussPremium
join:2007-11-01
Boynton Beach, FL | Silliness... Its more of a political and corporate disaster than an issue of capacity management. Unless the iPhone is using some new nifty method of doing MMS, which I doubt, AT&T should have just enabled it along with all the other carriers on day one and saved themselves a lot of headache. If there was a "MMS armageddon" during the first couple of days after release of the iPhone 3.0 software, AT&T might have gotten a spanking or two about capacity and then the event would have been over and for the most part forgotten. However, by arbitrarily delaying the availability of MMS they opened the door wide open for intense scrutiny and potential consumer backlash on a variety of fronts that has lasted for several months already and with this much momentum may be very hard to turn around. |
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 HpowerRoflmao
join:2000-06-08
Glendale, CA | Can't wait to see video haha I have to watch this funny video when I get home from work. Can't watch it at work of course. This guy's face is funny in the picture.
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The Internet is about to go down....it is actually. |
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MRCUR
join:2007-03-09
Columbia, PA | reply to Glenn_Davis
Re: Customers understand upgrading a network is hard & expensive I think that's the much bigger issues (especially for me). I've had the original iPhone, tried the 3G but returned it because it didn't work at my house (the 3G reliability sucks here, speeds are just OK), had a BB Bold, and now have an iPhone 3GS.
I paid $20/month for unlimited EDGE data and 200 SMS on the original iPhone. I thought that was a very reasonable price. I was then asked to pay $30/month for data-only with the 3G, and both phones thereafter. I understand this - it was in line with most carriers data pricing. I already had unlimited texting by then anyways, so I didn't care.
But, here's the sticking point for me: Those same $30 got me fantastic push email, cellular video access, 3G, and TETHERING on my Bold. Of course MMS also worked... Why the hell as AT&T not gotten their crap together at least with pricing? |
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MRCUR
join:2007-03-09
Columbia, PA | reply to AVonGauss
Re: Silliness... Actually, I'm pretty happy AT&T decided to wait and add capacity for MMS before they launched it. It's very easy to get around no MMS on the iPhone through email, which certainly isn't a solution or excuse for AT&T, but it helps.
What I'm not ok with is still paying the same price as everyone else for messaging when I can't get access to MMS. Just like I'm not ok with paying the same data price and getting crappy service and no tethering (I realize the latter isn't supposed to be included but works on BBs). |
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LinklistPremium
join:2002-03-03
Longport, NJ
kudos:5 | reply to MRCUR
Re: Customers understand upgrading a network is hard & expensive said by MRCUR:But, here's the sticking point for me: Those same $30 got me fantastic push email, cellular video access, 3G, and TETHERING on my Bold. Of course MMS also worked... Why the hell has AT&T not gotten their crap together at least with pricing? How about because AT&T made such a lousy deal with what they pay to Apple that they have to charge more for iPhones than what they do with other 3G phones.
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page |
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 Radardan
join:2003-08-15
Scottsdale, AZ
kudos:1 | Pres. Obama killed AT&T here in AZ When the President and his entourage stayed near Scottsdale recently, iPhone cell service was essentially broken for several days and then suddenly cleared up when the visit was over.
One AT&T rep admitted there was a problem. All the others I spoke to could not find any issue in their network other than my intermittent "Call Failed" messages.
But I still remember vividly at least 10 years ago when some AT&T rep was claiming in a radio program that customers did not want number portability.
AT&T has a long history of denying reality. |
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 joakoPremium
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null
kudos:5
 ·Comcast
| Oh, of course. Tell the customers "you can't port your number" and then log the number of customers that call regarding portability. "Last quarter 0.3% of calls handled by our call center were related to number portability. 20% of those were customers requesting we allow it" Thus by statistics "customers do not want number portability"
These numbers are totally made up, but you get the idea....
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PRescott7-2097 |
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 BOGBSPremium
join:2004-05-11
·RoadRunner Cable
4 edits | reply to Linklist
Re: Customers understand upgrading a network is hard & expensive said by Linklist:A legitimate complaint would be that AT&T probably didn't listen to their strategic planning group which I have no doubt foresaw all this growth occurring several years ago. But most corporations don't listen to their strategic planning groups. They listen much more closely to their financial planners. Thanks for saying this. I wish more people would realize this. I can 100% identify, working in telecommunications myself. There is rarely a balance struck in cost/capacity for future upgrades.
said by MRCUR:But, here's the sticking point for me: Those same $30 got me fantastic push email, cellular video access, 3G, and TETHERING on my Bold. Of course MMS also worked... Why the hell as AT&T not gotten their crap together at least with pricing? That $30 did not buy you tethering, as defined by the plan. Tethering isn't technically included on the $30 BIS plan... You have to implement a workaround, or buy a 3rd party application as TetherBerry. If you really paid for tethering, you'd have the BIS+Tethering plan, with a 5GB cap @$60/mo.
This comes from a BlackBerry Bold user, that relies service for Business. I can't chance tethering on a plan that isn't designed for it, that's for sure. Other than that, using workarounds and 3rd party applications is fine for those who use their phones for non-critical, low use, personal customers  |
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 KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | reply to Linklist
said by Linklist:Few realize that the kind of upgrades being discussed here take years to accomplish. In my experience, I've always found it's a question of priorities. I've noticed that if the priority is there, then the money is available, and things can happen AMAZINGLY FAST. It's all about the choice and then allocating the resources. Now I'm not saying AT&T should spend the extra to make crews work 24/7 etc but they should have been working on this as a high priority from day one. 2 years on, wow.
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"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
kudos:1 | reply to en102
Re: That's because... said by en102:During the first 3 months after iPhone 3G went live in my location, I had my 3G Samsung exchanged under warranty 3x, as I could not hold calls for more than 1 minute. The nearest cell site is less than 1/3 mile. It wouldn't matter if I was standing in front of the cell site, with -36dBm signal...no capacity = dropped calls. Canada = Hollywood North A person who uses the field test screen, I know I'm not the only one. |
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 jhboricuaExMod 2000-01
join:2000-06-06
Minneapolis, MN | reply to Linklist
Re: Customers understand upgrading a network is hard & expensive Um, what does that has to do with the lack of functionality on the data plan? |
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en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | reply to patcat88
Re: That's because... |
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bsoft
join:2004-03-28
Boulder, CO | reply to BOGBS
Re: Customers understand upgrading a network is hard & expensive I'm sick and tired of telcos complaining about capacity issues. Guess what? Building capacity for their customers is part of doing business.
AT&T made over 12 BILLION dollars in profit last year. And they have the audacity to say that they can't get network upgrades done. The iPhone 3G has been out for over a year, and other 3G phones have been out for far longer. AT&T knew that the iPhone 2G drove higher data usage; they should have had the foresight to realize that the 3G would drive higher data usage as well.
The iPhone is sold all over the world, and yet it only seems to be AT&T that has these massive capacity issues. AT&T has the resources to get it fixed.
We don't have to put up with crappy service just because AT&T is unwilling or unable to provide high quality service. |
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watice
join:2008-11-01
New York, NY | CNN Story Anyone see the CNN story this morning about AT&T's network & the iphone? They actually called iphone users "network hogs" and blamed them for AT&T users dropped calls. I was shocked, appalled, and pissed that CNN would get the story twisted like that.
»www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2···call.cnn |
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| LOL! I'm AT&T
I'm a MAC. Uhh, what happened to PC?
Oh, I'm the AT&T guy just like you.
No you're not. iTunes doesn't crash on the iPhone.
Well, you see we have capacity issues...
Not prepared huh? You had two years.
You're a jerk like all iPhone users. Data ho..........(lost call)
I can't hear you. WHAT? Oh, I lost another call.
WE'RE FREEING THE IPHONE!
Ding-Ding!
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| ATT please, please get it together First off, yes ATT f up real bad. They should have had this issue fix a long time ago. Is all about money.
I will say the iphone does use a lot of bandwidth, why??? i dunno an apple thing i guess.
I read i think here or somewhere else, the problem was the iphone not compressing down the image/file to send over MMS and that's where the capacity issue came up.
I am willing to bet, that if the iphone goes to Sprint and Verizon and ATT let people get out of their contract most would leave in a heartbeat, i know i would.
Yes ATT, read the above and get your act together. |
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