AT&T Not selling iPhones in NYC?

[Arnwulf]

Source: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com..._blg=1,1513549

AT&T to NYC: No iPhones for you!
The company says New York does not have enough service towers.

Posted by Elizabeth Strott on Monday, December 28, 2009 10:32 AM
Apple (AAPL) sold 7.4 million iPhones in its most recent quarter, making the device extremely popular and profitable, as well as a boon for exclusive service provider AT&T (T).

So why, then, is AT&T not selling the smart phone in New York City? Well, "because New York is not ready for the iPhone."

That's what an AT&T customer service representative told a Consumerist reader named Stephen when he tried to order an iPhone from his home in Brooklyn. "You don't have enough towers to handle the phone," the representative said.

"We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels," AT&T spokesman Fletcher Cook told Consumerist.

IPhones make up 22% of the U.S. smart-phone market. The first iPhone debuted on June 29, 2007, with its 3G version hitting the market a year later.

AT&T has been in a public-relations mess regarding the iPhone for a few weeks now. Earlier this month, AT&T called some users "data hogs," complaining that a mere 3% of its users use 40% of the company's data capacity.
Read more: AT&T wants to limit iPhone users
AT&T's exclusive deal with Apple expires in 2010.

Shares of AT&T were unfazed by the report -- up 9 cents to $28.19.

Apple's shares surged $3.50, or 1.7%, to $212.54, an all-time high. Shares have been rising in recent days on talk that the company will launch its tablet PC at a product and software developer show in late January.

I know I rail on AT&T a lot, but is this really true? Kinda messed up if you ask me.

[*Shinzon*]

Sucks to be AT&T. All those users will just jump to Verizon or Sprint. How can you play those commercials about having more service than verizon and then tell consumers you don't have enough towers to support smart phones? lol talk about wasting money on advertisements.

[antihero]

but at least they have luke wilson in their commercial

[Izzy]

wat?

I bought mine in NYC last year, and I just bought two more for my girlfriend and her sister not two months ago.

[Arnwulf]

What I don't get is why Apple isn't making a bigger deal of this. I mean, sure they're making a LOT of money from the iPhone, but it seems to me that they could be making so much more.

[Alishe]

No no no, AT&T doesn't claim more coverage, they just have faster 3G coverage, when it's actually available. That commercial makes no sense to me. I would much prefer larger coverage than faster coverage.


... oh well I've had AT&T/Cingular for over 15 years and now also have an iPhone :/

[Cephius]

Speaking as someone who is in and around NYC almost 24/7, AT&T service blows nuts here. Verizon has a lockdown on the area, and I'd say about 95% of my family and friends use Verizon and don't have a problem with it.

That said, plenty of people have the iPhone too around here and don't have a bad thing to say about it. If they're not selling it in NYC anymore, it's probably due to bandwidth concerns for existing customers and not "lack of towers" or whatever other bullshit excuse they come up with.

[Izzy]

Speaking as someone who is in and around NYC almost 24/7, AT&T service blows nuts here. Verizon has a lockdown on the area, and I'd say about 95% of my family and friends use Verizon and don't have a problem with it.

That said, plenty of people have the iPhone too around here and don't have a bad thing to say about it. If they're not selling it in NYC anymore, it's probably due to bandwidth concerns for existing customers and not "lack of towers" or whatever other bullshit excuse they come up with.

Ditto on this. My iPhone's service sucks balls. There's so many 3G deadzones, and places where I have full bars, but no data coverage. I just used someone's Droid, and holy shit. That feels like what a wireless data network should be. It was fast, and responsive.

I really hope Apple releases a CDMA iPhone next year so I can go my ass back to Verizon.

[Pikarya]

Sucks to be AT&T. All those users will just jump to Verizon or Sprint.

Glad I did a month ago

[Headspace]

DROID DOES

[Sonomaa]

once the iPhone finally hits verizon shit will be over for at&t. they blew their piggy bank paying for the exclusivity but now with all their shit press its just a matter of time before we see iVerizon doing their thing. If apple snubs verizon again then they will just put even more marketing into the droid and the droid does commercial was epic already

the phone wars may be coming to a conclusion soon

[*Shinzon*]

I have service everywhere in NY with sprint, better than verizon in most places. Dunno why people even buy T-mobile and AT&T plans tbh.

[Kaisha]

Is AT&T still the sole provider of the iPhone?

In Canada, we finally just got it available to some of the other major providers (Telus, Bell, Fido) after Rogers has had it exclusively for a good couple years. (would love to know just how much they paid for that little deal...)

That being said though, 3G coverage up here is still shit for the most part. I barely get EDGE in some places in my area on my old dinky phone.

[Ramor]

DROID DOES

[img]MAPS[img]

[Cephius]

Is AT&T still the sole provider of the iPhone?

Yes, AT&T got exclusive rights to it ever since it came out. I think it was something like 150 million for a contract that is up at the end of this year. No idea if that got renegotiated since then though.

[6souls]

http://phones.verizonwireless.com/3g...verizonmap.jpghttp://phones.verizonwireless.com/3g/imgs/attmap.jpg

there ya go.

[archibaldcrane]

Those maps really are so damn shocking, I have no idea what took Verizon so long to point it out in their commercials.

[Cephius]

What's funnier is the AT&T commercials that "respond" to the maps by pointing out that AT&T still has coverage in most major US cities. It's like great, so you basically admit Verizon has better coverage but it's okay because you guys cover most cities (as if Verizon doesn't). Retarded.

[_chuchu]

What's funnier is the AT&T commercials that "respond" to the maps by pointing out that AT&T still has coverage in most major US cities. It's like great, so you basically admit Verizon has better coverage but it's okay because you guys cover most cities. Retarded.

but they can cover the vast majority of americans

[zoobernut]

The whole maps thing really reminds me of Swampy's avatar showing the distribution of red to blue during the elections. What the maps don't show is number of people covered based on population densities.

Just like Chuyu said the % of Americans covered by AT&T and Verizon are probably fairly close to each other based on population density.