ATT and Verizon reach truce

AT&T and Verizon today agreed to mutually end lawsuits attacking each other's networking claims. US District Courts in Atlanta and the Southern District of New York have dismissed both AT&T's suit hoping to block Verizon's "there's a map for that" ads as well as an earlier Verizon complaint that would have shut down AT&T's criticisms of its "most reliable" claims. Both cases end without prejudice and allow either company to sue again.

The more recent lawsuit accused Verizon of misleading customers by showing a map that only displays 3G coverage, implying that AT&T service works in far fewer areas than it technically covers. Verizon had responded by saying it made clear the maps only affected 3G coverage and successfully stopped an injunction that would have banned the ads during the course of the lawsuit. Even after AT&T's suit, Verizon had chosen to escalate its tactics with new ads that treated the iPhone as hampered by AT&T's smaller 3G coverage map and service quality.

Neither AT&T nor Verizon has provided an explanation for the reasons behind the dismissals. As the absence of an immediate injunction would negate the purposes behind AT&T's lawsuit, however, the company has little incentive to continue with its case.

By Electronista Staff