View this article at: http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/05/06/att.special.promo.note/

Tuesday, May 06, 2008 1:55pm

AT&T to hold 'Special Promo...

AT&T has sectioned off nearly a month between June and July in order to coordinate employees for an "exciting Special Promotional Launch," says an internal memo reportedly leaked to Engadget. The message notes that staff will be unable to book vacations between June 15th and July 12th due to the resource demands of the unnamed event, which is already believed to relate to the launch of an updated iPhone in the same timeframe. AT&T employees were allegedly asked to stay available for work during the same period last year, during the iPhone's official debut.

Some exceptions may be made for employees towards the end of the window depending on activity surrounding the launch, the note says, hinting that the bulk of customer attention will focus on the second half of June. The timing would roughly coincide with the one-year anniversary of the 2007 iPhone launch, which took place on June 29th of that year.

Research in Motion's BlackBerry 9000, considered the next-closest device to justify a high-profile launch, is unlikely as multiple reports have reported the 3G smartphone being delayed to July due to technical glitches that have since been resolved.

While unconfirmed by AT&T, the note would narrow down the American launch of the iPhone to the weeks just following Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, which begins on June 10th and is often considered the showcase for major new platforms and general software development.

AT&T tells Electronista that it has "no comment" about the memo.