ATT responds to Verizon iPhone launch

AT&T quickly shot back after news of the Verizon iPhone. The carrier simply touched on the strong points inherent to a GSM phone. An official statement pointed out that 7.2Mbps HSPA 3G was faster than 3.1Mbps EVDO Revision A and wouldn't be interrupted by calls, as is the case on CDMA. Most international carriers' use of GSM also ruled out roaming in the majority of areas.

"For iPhone users who want the fastest speeds, the ability to talk and use apps at the same time, and unsurpassed global coverage, the only choice is AT&T," it said.

The comments aren't likely to have a significant effect, since Verizon has mostly been counting on dissatisfaction with the quality of AT&T's network to drive sales. Although AT&T service in New York City, San Francisco and other trouble spots has improved significantly in the past year through a shift to capacious 850MHz spectrum and upgrades to cell sites and backhaul, customers in affected areas regularly complain of problems with dropped calls or unusable 3G data. AT&T service also regularly tends to falter at major events, such as baseball games or even last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

HSPA is practically faster than EVDO, but it assumes good conditions on both networks. Verizon during its Apple event noted that the infrastructure that helped support FiOS could be used to its advantage for supporting iPhone use, a factor which led it to support an official Wi-Fi hotspot app.

AT&T still plans to keep upgrading its network and may see its issues alleviate with the planned launch of LTE in mid-2011, when it will have an even higher capacity spectrum and a much more Internet-focused backbone that should handle the load more gracefully.

By Electronista Staff