3G demand expanding too fast for networks

[RamboLiberal]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

AT&T's mobile service has taken its lumps for its network performance problems, something one of its executives acknowledged is an issue in San Francisco and New York.


But the cause of the problems - new bandwidth-hungry smart phones, mobile applications and Internet browsing, which are all embodied in the iPhone - is increasingly an industry-wide challenge that will probably test the capacity of all networks.

AT&T, the leader in smart phone use, said that wireless data over its networks in the last three years has exploded 5,000 percent.

That growing demand could eventually translate into new pricing tiers designed to curb heavy use by customers. The days of the unlimited data plan, predict several analysts, could be numbered.

"I do think it's an inevitability for the industry," said Charles Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research of use-based pricing. "The main point is to start to educate consumers away from what they were trained to think: that there is no impact from usage."




Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/17/BU831BVGHD.DTL&tsp=1

[Submariner]

1. They don't care as long as suckers like me send a check each month

The signal is so weak where I live on Cape Cod, the signal barely raises 1 or 2 bars, and usually flip flops between a weak 3G signal and analog. Sometimes people call me, my phone won't ring, and the call does not show up until later as a voice mail or missed message.

I think I have the Rodney Dangerfield calling plan. I call and complain, but get no improvement or respect.

[proudohioan]

5. I have the same problem at my house...

it's a dead zone; usually 3 attempts at making an outgoing call before it's successful, phone doesn't ring (just like you stated) frequent dropped calls, etc...

I have to laugh at the TV commercials advertising AT&T more bars in more places....yeah, bars in an obscure region of France, maybe, but no bars in suburban Cleveland, OH?????? My same phone worked a hell of a lot better back when it was Cingular.

[Tesha]

6. Just FYI: It doesn't flip to "analog".

There isn't any "analog" (AMPS) service anymore. It's falling back to "2G"
(or "the EDGE" for data if it's a GSM phone).

Tesha

[Kokonoe]

2. Why don't they set up Wi-Fi in the cities.

Is it borderline communist or something.

[SoCalDem]

7. they want MONEY!!!!

and MORE MONEY!!

[TommyO]

3. Typical AT&T, pay more, deliver less

[jayfish]

4. This Is Not A Technological Issue. It is a $$ issue.

They don't want to spend the money to expand capacity but are perfectly willing to take more money from you to use their current junk.

Jay

[Robb]

8. Bullshit. It needs to go the other way.

Build networks to serve demand or die like a dinosaur.

[Romulox]

9. ATT 3G service is fairly good in Metro Detroit. No complaints. nt

[ddeclue]

10. You mean for AT&T and their crappy "EDGE" network.. Verizon is 5 times as fast with EVDO

and has no real problems.

[Blecht]

11. It's their business model

Step 1: Force people who want a smart phone to sign up for a data plan so they can suck money from them every month.

(There are no other parts to their model.)

I would like to have a wi-fi capable phone, because I make calls and use the Internet at all the hotspots around town(currently with my laptop), but I refuse to pay $30+ more a month for something I will never use. And even if I did want to use it, this article tells me how bad it sucks.

If people would think a little before they spend their money, these companies would not be able to get away with it.