AT&T Wireless Launches 3G
Jul 20, 2004, 11:02 AM by (staff)
AT&T Wireless today announced the commercial launch of 3G UMTS (WCDMA) service in Detroit, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle. Using Nortel infrastructure, the service provides average data speeds of about 220-320 Kbps, and supports simultaneous voice and data connections. The service is priced at $25/month for unlimited mMode data access, (in addition to a standard voice plan,) and $80/month for full unlimited data. The company is offering the Nokia 6651 and Motorola A845 phones for $300 each, and a Lucent / Novatel data card for $150 after rebates. Both phones include Bluetooth and VGA cameras with video capture. The company plans to expand the service to Dallas and San Diego by the end of the year.
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Comments
Waste of 10 Mhz
I assume they are using one chanel up and one down for a total of 10 Mhz plus guard bands.
That is a lot of spectrum to use for pretty minimal benefits. Good things its only in four cities.
That is a lot of spectrum to use for pretty minimal benefits. Good things its only in four cities.
viper said:Soon to be at...
I assume they are using one chanel up and one down for a total of 10 Mhz plus guard bands.
That is a lot of spectrum to use for pretty minimal benefits. Good things its only in four cities.
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Hands On
FWIW, I just played around with one for a few minutes at the ATTWS store at University Village. They've got both of the phones instock and powered up, right as you walk in the door.
The A845 is a *brick*. This is not a phone to put in your pocket, it belongs in a briefcase.
That said, streaming video on a phone is pretty cool. We watched a news clip, and the frame rate was pretty darn good, prolly in the 7-10fps range.
Also, the salesman said that the phone could be tethered to a computer and there would be no additional fee. He said that it was so much cheaper because you had to buy a voice plan as well, as opposed to the straight data card.
Not saying that the salesman knows more than the headquarters, but interesti...
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The A845 is a *brick*. This is not a phone to put in your pocket, it belongs in a briefcase.
That said, streaming video on a phone is pretty cool. We watched a news clip, and the frame rate was pretty darn good, prolly in the 7-10fps range.
Also, the salesman said that the phone could be tethered to a computer and there would be no additional fee. He said that it was so much cheaper because you had to buy a voice plan as well, as opposed to the straight data card.
Not saying that the salesman knows more than the headquarters, but interesti...
(continues)
You're certainly not kidding. I put the a845 up against my Nokia 3589 and it's considerably larger. I wasn't expecting that.
The A845 is a *brick*. This is not a phone to put in your pocket, it belongs in a briefcase.
Pricing
The pricing is interesting. It's a flat $25/month on top of your voice plan. Voice plans are normal GSM plans, but only certain ones are eligible. The $25 just covers mMode data, but it's required if you use a 3G phone.
It's unlimited, but not for laptops, PDAs, or any connection via Bluetooth, infrared, or cable. What's nice is that they don't block such connections, they simply bill it at an extra $1/MB, which isn't unreasonable.
At that rate, it's perfect for the occasional checking e-mail on a trip, etc. Of course serious laptop users will want the full data plan and a card, which is $150 and $80/month.
I think $25 is a bit steep, though. On top of a typical $50 voice plan, that's a pretty steep premium just to be able to watch ...
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It's unlimited, but not for laptops, PDAs, or any connection via Bluetooth, infrared, or cable. What's nice is that they don't block such connections, they simply bill it at an extra $1/MB, which isn't unreasonable.
At that rate, it's perfect for the occasional checking e-mail on a trip, etc. Of course serious laptop users will want the full data plan and a card, which is $150 and $80/month.
I think $25 is a bit steep, though. On top of a typical $50 voice plan, that's a pretty steep premium just to be able to watch ...
(continues)
Rich Brome said:...
The pricing is interesting. It's a flat $25/month on top of your voice plan. Voice plans are normal GSM plans, but only certain ones are eligible. The $25 just covers mMode data, but it's required if you use a 3G p
(continues)
That's $25 for being able to download some ring tones quickly 😛 Maybe if it included 25-50MB for the laptop as well...
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Video Calling
Just heard back from an AT&T Wireless spokesman. He confirmed that video calling is not yet supported, but that they are working on it. The Motorola A845 does support it, and should work with that feature once it's launched on the network side.
and the check is in the mail.... 😲
UMTS
Great test bed(s) for Cingular.
First four markets are using Nortel gear.
Dallas will launch with Ericsson gear.
Not sure which equipment type is in San Diego.
Cingular is testing Lucent gear in Atlanta.
http://www.attwireless.com/press/releases/2004_relea ... »
First four markets are using Nortel gear.
Dallas will launch with Ericsson gear.
Not sure which equipment type is in San Diego.
Cingular is testing Lucent gear in Atlanta.
http://www.attwireless.com/press/releases/2004_relea ... »
rtribby said:...
Great test bed(s) for Cingular.
First four markets are using Nortel gear.
Dallas will launch with Ericsson gear.
Not sure which equipment type is in San Diego.
Cingular is testing Lucent gear in Atlanta.
http
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