AT&T's 2008 plans include 80 new cities with 3G, HSUPA network

Kind of makes those New Years resolutions of yours seem a bit silly now, but AT&T has some high hopes for 2008. While it mulls its own 700MHz options and leaves the C block to the likes of Verizon, the company plans to build out its 3G network into 80 more cities, which boosts the number to 350 "leading" markets in the US, a rollout AT&T has been sluggish to compete with Verizon and Sprint on. AT&T also pledges to complete its HSUPA network by the middle of the year for speedier uploads. AT&T's not giving many specifics on its future network plans, just that existing infrastructure improvements pave the way for HSPA+ and LTE in the "years to come." Let's hope those years come fast, these HD downloads we keep hearing about are liable to set a few cell towers on fire by year's end.

[tmkates @ Feb 6th 2008 11:33AM]

Can anyone say- "Get ready for new 3G iPhones?"

[AMaench @ Feb 6th 2008 11:34AM]

Doubt it will happen. ATT's 3G rollout is pathetic on epic levels. Sprint is moving to 4G in some markets very soon and ATT barely has 3G out. the leadership at that company firmly have their head up their own asses.

[Scott Peterson @ Feb 6th 2008 11:37AM]

Sprint?? who are they??? I think I had a friend that had sprint once but he didn't get coverage at my house. But then again my house is in the middle of a big city. I wouldn't expect sprint to work so close to houses and buildings.

[bob cobb @ Feb 6th 2008 11:55AM]

sprint, the company who will give you voice and unlimited data for $30/month, with more fast data coverage than att. I used to have cingular, and my coverage with sprint is just as good if not better than cingular.

[Jeremy @ Feb 6th 2008 12:26PM]

I think he means Sprint, the company that lost 600,000 customers last year, whose stock just recently plummeted, and laid off many thousands of employees.

The program you're referring to is the SERO program that is an employee referral program. Even so, just about everyone has that which is part of the reason why Sprint is losing so much money.

If you think their customer service and coverage is acceptable then you are very, very much in the minority.

[bob cobb @ Feb 6th 2008 12:42PM]

Sprints share price and subscriber number affects me how? If they go under, then I move to another carrier. I dont own any of their stock, and their service has been great for me.

[shawn @ Feb 6th 2008 1:18PM]

Naw... you just own a CDMA phone in a country where CDMA providers are switching to GSM and where consumer lock-in is the rule of the game. So you'll need to buy a new phone on a new two-year contract and deal with all the features on your phone that were disabled so they could sell them back to you at a higher rate.

Cell phone companies are evil.

[macona @ Feb 6th 2008 2:55PM]

Sprint, the company that has a horrible phone selection.

[Chip @ Feb 6th 2008 3:34PM]

Horrible phone selection? They had the HTC Vogue (Sprint Touch) first. They had the HTC 6800 (Sprint Mogul) first, also. You must be thinking of Verizon.

[Cory @ Feb 6th 2008 11:37AM]

I'll believe it when I see it. 3G rollout has been "about 3 months away" in Wichita for over a year now, with no sign of actually happening anywhere in sight.

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Feb 6th 2008 11:42AM]

@ Cory
What does the sign say on your B-52?

[Cory @ Feb 6th 2008 11:47AM]

"Just a cloud"

It's the new stealth B-52

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Feb 6th 2008 11:41AM]

I bet I won't get 3G anywhere near my house. I can barely get a $#%& Edge signal.

[Scott Peterson @ Feb 6th 2008 11:59AM]

Just got off the phone with sprint to get that 30 dollar plan with unlimited data and voice for 30 bucks a month... it doesn't exist... cheapest for data and voice = $69.99

[iceraven @ Feb 23rd 2008 4:08PM]

You mean this doesn't exist?

500 voice + unlimited data/text:
http://delivery.sprint.com/m/p/sprint/epc/epclanding.asp

[AMaench @ Feb 6th 2008 1:21PM]

if you want sero go to
http://sprint.com/sero

put in [e-mail] and you can upgrade your account or start up new service. Most people qualify with service.

(that is not my dealer code just one I got off a website)

[Scott Peterson @ Feb 6th 2008 12:14PM]

Thats an employee referal program that I dont qualify for. plus read the fine print.

*Service Offers: Unlimited Data and text messaging promotion expires 12/31/07.
Vision: Requires a Sprint PCS Vision phone. Sprint PCS Vision is not available while roaming off the Nationwide Sprint PCS Network and is not available for use with any device used as a modem. Premium Services (games, ringer, etc.) priced separately.

plus sprint vision isn't really mobile broadband anyway unless you consider the internet on your sanyo phone quality.

Face it sprint has the fewest number of subscriptions cause they suck. They are losing customers everyday to the big carriers like verizon and At&t. And they will cancel your account if you spend too much time roaming... which other carrier in the US has a roaming problem cause they dont have enough of their own coverage? As if that isn't enough what good phone does sprint offer? LG or maybe Sanyo or wait wait wait samsung.. they all suck.

[bob cobb @ Feb 6th 2008 11:43PM]

well if that fine print were true then I'd agree, but it's not. You can get a windows mobile phone, and easily tether that as a modem. You get edvo internet on the phone and the computer that you tether to.

[Scott Peterson @ Feb 6th 2008 12:32PM]

http://coverage.sprintpcs.com/IMPACT.jsp

Oh and check out how good the coverage is for sprint PCS non roaming service.. make sure you get out your magnifying glass to see the green dots on this map. yep kiddies those are the only place that you can use your sprint data service.

[bob cobb @ Feb 6th 2008 12:45PM]

rofl, no it isn't. Btw, how's laci and lil connor doing?

[Scott Peterson @ Feb 6th 2008 12:47PM]

your twisted bob...

[mc-fine @ Feb 7th 2008 1:31AM]

Umm the places on that map that you can't use data are the white spots. You get data roaming on the grey parts. Looks quite similar to http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/. Difference is AT&T is just getting their stuff together. Frankly its about time.

[Justin @ Feb 6th 2008 12:57PM]

I think the sprint kids just got showed.

[PhilR8 @ Feb 6th 2008 1:24PM]

The fewer engadget trolls on Sprint, the better. All the more of that bountiful RevA spectrum for me to tether with.

[Virtuous @ Feb 6th 2008 2:03PM]

At the present time Apple is afraid to release a 3G iPhone. AT&T's 3G network is pathetic. Apple doesn't want to hear complaints about AT&T's high-speed network. In California Verizon has by far the best coverage.

[Jeremy @ Feb 6th 2008 3:11PM]

Apple is not afraid to release a 3G phone. Most of the world has 3G and Apple can and will sell to them. And your comment makes no sense. Apple is already taking crap for being a carrier with such slow speeds. How would them upgrading to 3G, even if the carrier still sucks, hurt them at all?

[Josh @ Feb 6th 2008 3:25PM]

Riiiiight. Because eveyone will think its apple's fault for the network sucking....Apple just wanted to make sure it would be obsolete in a year so that everyone would go buy a new one, in fear of not being the coolest person on the block.

[Virtuous @ Feb 6th 2008 8:31PM]

The average iPhone user will expect 3G everywhere Edge is currently available.

[UIGuy @ Feb 7th 2008 4:45PM]

Well, I am not sure about that...

Everyone blames AT&T for Apple's 2G decision... In reality, I suspect the decision was more complicated - something like

"@#$@#$, how do we put enough battery into a 3G phone to make it last long enough to avoid being ridiculed?"

"No, @#$#@#$, we can do that, it looks like a brick - Steve wants skinny, not bricky."

"@#$@#$, send it out with 2G - they'll blame AT&T, we'll release the 3G version when the power problems aren't so bad..."

[Ix @ Feb 6th 2008 3:25PM]

Virtuous you are correct about Apple. To me it looks to me like Apple is pushing this! I think they will not release a G3 iPhone until they feel their service provider has the network in place. I'll bet Apple is funding the buildout, one way or another.

[Miguel @ Feb 6th 2008 5:01PM]

You and Virtuous are apple lovers and blind as hell, that they were worried about the network is b.s., are you saying that EDGE all the time is better than UMTS/3G/HSDPA some of the time? thats some stupid logic. apple always slightly cripples everything they put out, it guarantees future sales on new versions of their products, great business model for them.

[Dwaine @ Feb 6th 2008 6:25PM]

I do not own any Apple products nor do I want too. I do not love them. lol. I'm saying Apple is waiting to release the 3G iPhone until the AT&T 3G network in USA has 90%+ major market coverage. Then yes they will sell a new device and make loads more money.

I will stick with my Nokia N95-3 and AT&T, for the time being.

[Jeremy @ Feb 8th 2008 1:13AM]

Dwaine, I can absolutely guarantee you that a 3G iPhone will be out before AT&T has 90% 3G coverage. 80 new cities isn't 90% coverage. I doubt they even have 90% coverage for their EDGE network.

What people don't seem to understand is that not all signals are created equal. I have times when my EDGE connection is very quick and I am clearly bottlenecked by my mobile device's ability to render the page or the server I'm talking to. Other times it's slower than you can imagine. With a 3G network, you'll still have many places where the signal won't be so great and the speeds will be so-so. In my opinion, the best thing about 3G is the fact that I can make calls while on the web, not the speed.

[Gunny @ Feb 8th 2008 2:59PM]

All these Sprint bashing comments are really ignorant, for the most part anyone on this site is a cell phone junkie, but you surely couldn’t tell by all the misinformation remarks about Sprint! Sad

[spdweb @ Apr 17th 2008 6:01PM]

I would just be happy with some 3g coverage on my lowly old Blackjack. Here I am... not but 40 miles as the crow flies from Washington DC and Baltimore MD in the most populated zone in the US and have no 3g with no future plans for it. Verizon has broadband here and has had it for over a year now.. They have great coverage too.. but that doesn't out weight their crappy phone selection and the way they nickle and dime you to death. Not to mention the hoops you have to jump through to unlock even the simplest of functions on their phones. Heck, even Nextel/Sprint has broadband here.. but you have to stand on one foot on a roof top somewhere to get it.