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AT&T: We'll Move 'Heaven And Earth' To Improve Network
Carrier gives yet another speech on how people like to use data...

Speaking at VentureBeat’s MobileBeat 2010 conference this week in San Francisco, AT&T Chief Technology Officer John Donovan once again declared that the future holds lots and lots of data (we get it) and that AT&T will "move heaven and Earth" to get out ahead of mobile bandwidth demand.

Donovan wouldn't answer why AT&T hasn't been able to get out ahead of data demand despite always being able to predict perfectly where usage patterns are going. "I’ll tell you the things it’s not been,” Donovan told attendees. "It’s not been capital, it’s not been conviction and commitment." While that certainly sounds nice, AT&T often (see U-Verse versus fiber to the home) hedges their bets in order to please investors, so that's not entirely true.


Donavan also indicated AT&T has no plan to go gently into that dumb pipe night, insisting the company's working on their own apps and a content "enablement layer." What is that? Well it's apparently AT&T's justification term for why it's still crippling Android handsets and stuffing them with unremovable bloatware in an age where consumers want their products unlocked and open. Says Donovan:
quote:
"Until we find a healthy system where everyone gets paid and friction is low, then I don't think we've tipped past the midpoint," Donovan said. Applications have to be able to get easily from developers to consumers, with effective billing and payment systems, he said.
Of course this kind of AT&T "help" sounds exactly like just the thing many people don't want AT&T to do. Time and money spent on "me too" content (have you seen AT&T's nice Hulu clone?) could be better spent on the network. Meanwhile, a company like AT&T's version of innovation on this front is trying to get in the middle of this consumer/content relationship simply to impose new and creative fees.
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pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

BS

With the ridiculously low data caps now in place, what economic incentive does AT&T have to fix things? If anything, improving the network to handle more data would result in less revenue from overages.

Steve B
Premium Member
join:2004-08-02
Auburn, WA

1 recommendation

Steve B

Premium Member

Re: BS

Exactly. AT&T and the like do not want to spend the capital to improve their network. They want to sit on their profits and nickel and diming their customers to death. I mean, why improve the network when you can sit tightly on what you have and squeeze more money out of people? Its BS.

Bassistguy
Alrighty Then
Premium Member
join:2001-07-14
Ballwin, MO

Bassistguy

Premium Member

Re: BS

Sadly, that's the way everything is. If it's not profitable, it doesn't get improved upon. I third that (on the BS).

spewak
R.I.P Dadkins
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join:2001-08-07
Elk Grove, CA
·Consolidated Com..

2 recommendations

spewak

Premium Member

Re: BS

said by Bassistguy:

Sadly, that's the way everything is. If it's not profitable, it doesn't get improved upon. I third that (on the BS).
I fourth that BS call! Just look at slicky boy in that photo. Is that a face you can trust?

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5 to Bassistguy

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to Bassistguy
said by Bassistguy:

Sadly, that's the way everything is. If it's not profitable, it doesn't get improved upon.
That is common sense. No company is going to spend money on things that are not profitable or won't be profitable in the future. Companies that spend all their capital on non-profitable projects soon go out of business.

DrModem
Trust Your Doctor
Premium Member
join:2006-10-19
USA

DrModem

Premium Member

Re: BS

said by FFH5:

said by Bassistguy:

Sadly, that's the way everything is. If it's not profitable, it doesn't get improved upon.
That is common sense. No company is going to spend money on things that are not profitable or won't be profitable in the future. Companies that spend all their capital on non-profitable projects soon go out of business.
Improving the network is profitable, its just not AS profitable.

Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus
join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY

1 recommendation

Transmaster to Steve B

Member

to Steve B
As long as they have the iPhone as a cash elephant they could care less. As soon as the iPhone gets farmed out to other providers this may change.

djrobx
Premium Member
join:2000-05-31
Reno, NV

djrobx

Premium Member

Re: BS

said by Transmaster:

As long as they have the iPhone as a cash elephant they could care less. As soon as the iPhone gets farmed out to other providers this may change.
And since that might be happening soon, we're getting an earful of empty promises.

In fact, I'd say this is the second sign that there might be some truth to the January Verizon rumors. The first being early iPhone 4 upgrade eligibility.
talz13
join:2006-03-15
Avon, OH

talz13

Member

Re: BS

said by djrobx:

said by Transmaster:

As long as they have the iPhone as a cash elephant they could care less. As soon as the iPhone gets farmed out to other providers this may change.
And since that might be happening soon, we're getting an earful of empty promises.

In fact, I'd say this is the second sign that there might be some truth to the January Verizon rumors. The first being early iPhone 4 upgrade eligibility.
Didn't they do early iPhone 3Gs upgrade eligibility too?
CopperFiber
join:2009-12-08

CopperFiber to Steve B

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to Steve B
I agree that they have reduced their speeds in the southeast on the DSL CIRCUITS.
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx to pnh102

Member

to pnh102
Not if they keep the caps the same...higher speeds = people actually USING the network rather than being unable to. Pair that with 2GB and you get overage $$$.

What's funny is that AT&T has said that they might deploy LTE or HSPA+ but have done neither, yet anyway. All of the "big three" Canadian cellular providers have HSPA+ enabled on their networks, and T-Mobile is deploying it to their entire HSPA (non-plus) footprint as fast as they possibly can. That leaves AT&T...
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

Re: BS

2 of 3 Canadian HSPA networks are built from scratch very recently, the carriers used to be CDMA only. Its like comparing ATT to Clearwire, and blaming ATT for not deploying WiMAX when it didn't exist when ATT got into the 3G business.
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx

Member

Re: BS

Not at all. AT&T has plenty of money to make the relatively minor upgrade to HSPA+...they *do* own their own internet backbone and they *do* have all those iPhone customers paying into the system, yaknow.

Z80A
Premium Member
join:2009-11-23

Z80A to pnh102

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to pnh102
Because most people apparently don't give a shit about the caps and millions of current subscribers aren't subject to caps.

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

1 recommendation

Gbcue to pnh102

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to pnh102
Vote with your wallet people!

Go to another carrier, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, there are dozens more!

If you want real 3G, the real fastest network, go to T-Mobile.

42mbps in the near future!

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski

Premium Member

Re: BS

said by Gbcue:

Vote with your wallet people!

Go to another carrier, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, there are dozens more!

If you want real 3G, the real fastest network, go to T-Mobile.

42mbps in the near future!
Don't you mean 42 mbps undecided on in the near future?
»T-Mobile Undecided On 42 Mbps HSPA+ Upgrades [19] comments
puck0114
join:2005-12-24
Portland, OR

puck0114 to Gbcue

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to Gbcue
said by Gbcue:

If you want real 3G, the real fastest network, go to T-Mobile Verizon.
:)

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue

Premium Member

Re: BS

said by puck0114:

said by Gbcue:

If you want real 3G, the real fastest network, go to T-Mobile Verizon.
:)
I think not.

Compare T-Mobile HSPA+ 3G to Verizon's "LTE", or Sprint's "4G" and you'll find the true difference.
Expand your moderator at work
Phatty
join:2000-05-10
Saint Louis, MO

1 edit

Phatty

Member

IF they wanted to improve things it would already be done

They have had enough time to Improve things if they really wanted they just choose not to, or choose to not put the resources behind what effort they do have.

I was recently on vacation with my work provided Iphone 3g in a non 3g area. Almost the entire week I was their I barely got any data signal and could never send a picture message, no emails, no surfing until I was back in the hotel room with Wifi. It amazes me anyone pays them for service as I would be pissed if I went somewhere with no 3G and suddenly lost all data services. My friend who joined me on vacation had a 3GS so I had fun rubbing it in that he actually paid for the crap service we were both getting.

morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000

morbo

Member

enablement layer?

Enablement layer? I think I'm gonna be sick.

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue

Premium Member

Re: enablement layer?

said by morbo:

Enablement layer? I think I'm gonna be sick.
Sounds like walled garden to me.

Z80A
Premium Member
join:2009-11-23

Z80A

Premium Member

Is Heaven and Earth their new capping system?

Cause that is the only "improvements" they want to make.

cableties
Premium Member
join:2005-01-27

1 recommendation

cableties

Premium Member

So they'll just pour funds into lobbyists...

And just WTF does this doublespeak mean:

"Until we find a healthy system where everyone gets paid and friction is low, then I don't think we've tipped past the midpoint,"...

Run for congress, you tool. Run. Or sell lubricants. Or both!

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

ArrayList

Premium Member

Re: So they'll just pour funds into lobbyists...

i wondered the same thing. does anyone know what that crap means?

Jim Kirk
Premium Member
join:2005-12-09
49985

2 edits

Jim Kirk

Premium Member

Re: So they'll just pour funds into lobbyists...

"where everyone gets paid"

AT&T wants to be the middle man in smart phone application purchases so they can get their piece. They're not happy with users being able to bypass them to purchase directly from the iPhone / Android app stores.

They just don't get that they don't deserve a single red cent from any application purchases. They provide the connection between the user and the store, which the user is already paying them for.
duranr
join:2006-10-14
Leonia, NJ

duranr to cableties

Member

to cableties
My take on it is they want to be the gatekeeper to getting apps on the phones. They see the app store and Android market as ways of bypassing them onto the device. They want a slice of the App store/Marketplace pie and apple/Google isn't sharing so they're doing the only thing they can; removing features and capabilities and charging the customer (preferably) a (recurring) fee to get those features back. (Tethering anyone?)

I really wish the carriers would just stop messing with the phones and concentrate on the Network speeds and Coverage. But I'm under the impression that it's asking for too much.

Jim Kirk
Premium Member
join:2005-12-09
49985

Jim Kirk

Premium Member

Re: So they'll just pour funds into lobbyists...

That would relegate them to dumb pipe providers, which is the exact opposite of what they want.
etaadmin
join:2002-01-17
united state

etaadmin to cableties

Member

to cableties
said by cableties:

And just WTF does this doublespeak mean:

"Until we find a healthy system where everyone gets paid and friction is low, then I don't think we've tipped past the midpoint,"...

Run for congress, you tool. Run. Or sell lubricants. Or both!
Ha, ha,

He's toying with the media... and us the public. They (AT&T) think we're idiots for buying their junk and keeping up with their abusive billing practices and to some point he's right.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Donovan wants different charges based on who you are

Looking forward, Donovan sees billing systems that can tell when a subscriber is acting as a consumer or a professional, based on place, time of day, application and other factors. Using that criterion, AT&T would be able to bill differently for that use, he said.
I am not sure who he plans on ripping off based on that statement. Business/Professionals or consumers? Your guess is as good as mine.

Jim Kirk
Premium Member
join:2005-12-09
49985

Jim Kirk

Premium Member

Re: Donovan wants different charges based on who you are

Everyone he can.

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue to FFH5

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to FFH5
said by FFH5:

Looking forward, Donovan sees billing systems that can tell when a subscriber is acting as a consumer or a professional, based on place, time of day, application and other factors. Using that criterion, AT&T would be able to bill differently for that use, he said.
I am not sure who he plans on ripping off based on that statement. Business/Professionals or consumers? Your guess is as good as mine.
It's both, obviously.

AT&T just wants to charge more for what they provided in 2007.
djeremy
join:2004-07-12
San Francisco, CA

djeremy

Member

They are fixing SF

Now, I'm no AT&T fan and would not have a cell phone if they were the only carrier (yes, I hate the deathstar that much), but they are actually fixing their network in San Francisco. Mini cell towers have been popping up all over Noe Valley and Diamond Heights where they basically had almost no signal before. This one was installed across the street from my house a couple weeks ago. I think some are T-Mobile, some are AT&T. My guess is that these are way easer to put up and they don't require the normal tower permits being that they are installed on utility poles.
DrFillster
join:2001-12-05
Lexington, KY

DrFillster

Member

I'd never use ATT in nyc

Visiting this week in the big apple and the data here just sucks. Only mace two calls but one didn't connect.

The network here just doesn't cut it. Much worse than most places I go. In October I get to see just how bad it is in San Fran....
WhatNow
Premium Member
join:2009-05-06
Charlotte, NC

WhatNow

Premium Member

Why?

Because they are cheap.
pika2000
join:2005-10-13
Seattle, WA

pika2000

Member

What's next?

So, will AT&T "improve" their network by reducing the bandwidth cap to 100MB? I mean they want users to only use smartphones for text emails, nothing more.