iPhone tethering on AT&T still waiting on better network performance

AT&T's own Ralph de la Vega mentioned as early as November of 2008 that you'd be able to tether your iPhone to your computer and use it as a modem "soon," but here we are some ten months after the initial announcement of official tethering support in the platform and there's no sign of it. Considering that many iPhone carriers around the world deployed it as soon as Apple had it ready -- and many more came online over the months to follow -- it seems that AT&T's silence on the issue has spoken volumes. We reached out to the company today to get a statement on the feature's status, and here's what we got back (text bolded by us, not AT&T):

"We understand that there is great interest in tethering but cannot provide any details at this time. We know that iPhone users love their devices and mobile broadband, and that they're likely to embrace tethering just as they have other features and apps – by using it a lot. iPhone tethering has the potential to exponentially increase traffic, and we need to ensure that we're able to deliver excellent performance for the feature – over and above the increases in data traffic we're already seeing – before we will offer the feature."

Coincidentally, that's almost identical to a statement the company issued last September, but regardless, AT&T can't necessarily afford to meet its network "performance objectives" before acting -- Verizon's announcement that Palm's Mobile Hotspot app would become a free add-on with the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus was a serious shot across the bow of any other American carrier trying to woo business customers and road warriors. Think it'll go live before the next iPhone does?

[pika2000 Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:28AM]

Well, tethering is one usefulness of a Nokia/S60 phone. Get an unlocked S60 phone with AT&T 3G support and wifi, download joikuspot, put in your iPhone SIM chip, and voila, a 3G wifi access point.

Really though. AT&T needs to get real. I mean if a wireless carrier in some 3rd world country was ready to support tethering at launch, why can't AT&T?

[GD Karaoke Posted Apr 29th 2010 6:45AM]

People, get the point, iphone 3g and 3gs can teather out of the box if you have 3.0.1 firmware at near 1.5KBs no unlock or jailbreak needed. If you updated the firmware just google how to roll it back, install itunes 8.2, follow online instructions. When finished update itunes but DON'T update iphone firmware, Done.

[eddyrayb Posted Apr 29th 2010 7:58AM]

Wouldn't it be easier if you could have one 3G account? You could use it on your cell phone, on your laptop and on your iPad. It's not like you'd ever use it on all three at the same time. Well, most wouldn't. I'd love to have an iPad, but the thought of having to pay another $300+ a year on 3G service that I already have is keeping me from it.

[ShadoeKnight Posted Apr 29th 2010 8:44AM]

Really? So the network is so inundated that I can't tether my iPhone but you feel free to add the Kindle's Whispernet and potentially worse than anything, the iPad?! Why is tethering my iPhone somehow worse than the iPad?

I've seen it here in other words, jump ship, get a phone with WiFi sharing an iPad, and laugh at AT&T's total ineptitude. All this could of course be solved if AT&T would simply explain why having the iPad buy as you go plans are still better than tethering the iPhone, but they don't seem to care about transparency.

[StrikeFreedomMeister Posted Apr 29th 2010 9:00AM]

AT&T: The Epic Fail Network.

[alexcampagna Posted Apr 29th 2010 9:43AM]

Blah! I can tether from my blackberry since close to a year now.

[Jcmbruce Posted Apr 29th 2010 10:59AM]

I'm a huge fan of unlocking or "jail breaking" the iPhone for tethering alone. A year ago my verizon wireless bill was over $200/ month. $30 for data, $30 for tethering ability (bb storm), $59 for the plan, $59/ month for unlimited internet with a USB wireless modem, $15 unlimited texts, $5 insurance. Trying to save $$ I cancelled the modem option, turned off the wireless modem, cancelled insur ect an got my bill down to around $120. After verizon told me the android was coming out and was better than they iPhone, I left and went with AT&T. As soon as I got the ihpone I jail broke it and got mywifi. This app alone have me all the features I was paying over $200 with verizon but only cost me $115 plus everyone around me could log on too. I've had as many as 8 or 9 on at the same time and it performs just as well as if I was on by myself.

[eventhorizon Posted Apr 29th 2010 6:28PM]

So basically, AT&T is admitting that their network is a piece of sh*t. Why does Apple put up with AT&T? Lack of decent 3G coverage (rending the iPhone 3G/3GS useless, sans better hardware) and a lack of an infrastructure to support the most popular cell phone in the world. AT&T jabs at Verizon are a pathetic cop-out. Instead of spending money on advertising, why not spend it on improving you network?

AT&T: Epic Fail.

[jiubreyn Posted Apr 30th 2010 6:18AM]

AT&T promising tethering for the iPhone, is like Adobe promising to update their software to run seamlessly on a Mac. It's not going to happen, so don't hold your breath.

[Kelmon Posted Apr 30th 2010 10:59AM]

Evidentially one of the few times that the rest of the world gets something before the US, which makes a nice change. I don't tend to use it myself but I can testify that it both works very well and was convenient when I moved back to the UK and had to wait a few weeks for ADSL internet access to be setup in our house.