AT&T plans smartphone security service for 2012
updated 12:40 pm EDT, Mon May 16, 2011
ATT service to safeguard phones next year
AT&T's enterprise head John Stankey said in an interview Monday that the carrier was planning a service to help protect individual smartphones from malware attacks. The company already had a corporate plan but expected it would "probably" have a service for home users sometime in 2012. Most details were still left out in the Reuters chat, including which platforms would get support and how much it would cost.
Android may be the most likely due to software support, since Google's platform allows deeper access than iOS. Google's platform has also seen a sharp uptick in malware that hasn't manifested so far on non-jailbroken iPhones.
Stankey saw the service as being near inevitable because of the growing base of smartphone users. There was already a surge in attacks, he said, and personal smartphones would be an increasing target. Everyday users weren't signing on now mostly because they couldn't see the threat in 2011, but that attitude was likely to change.
"When you start asking [customers] what's your willingness to pay for a solution, if they're not a little frightened, their willingness to pay is nothing," he explained.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2008
no thanks
another FUD from AT&T to scare you into spending more money. your phone is your responsibility. if you are too stupid to use it, perhaps you shouldn't be using it at all.