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Home » AT&T, Verizon Wireless

AT&T Defending itself with word rather than misleading claims…

Posted by Chris Leckness on November 13, 2009 – 12:54 pm  Share

I hate to keep rehashing the same issues over and over, but the soap opera is getting more and more in depth. Yesterday, AT&T Filed a 30 page document to the court system calling for a Verizon to stop running their misleading ads altogether. Today, they have posted a public letter to their customers. You can read that letter that after the break.

I personally think that Verizon has some points, but I still don’t like their attack Apple and AT&T method of advertising. Focus on showing what you do well and not what other do poorly. AT&T has network conjestion problems in many large cities, that has already been established. The issue I take with the Verizon ads is that they are claiming that AT&T doesn’t have data coverage in many places when they actually do. In fact, the Verizon version of AT&T’s map shows my town without coverage. I am all up on 3G and it’s just fine here. We haven’t had it too long, but we do.  My opinion really doesn’t matter here though. This matter is going up to the legal system now. They can be the judge of that.

attverizon3gcoverage

The letter is over at the AT&T Website and a good post on the 30 page document at Digital Daily.

To Our Customers:

As the U.S. market leader in wireless data service, we typically don’t respond to competitors’ advertising. However, some recent ads from Verizon are so blatantly false and misleading, that we want to set the record straight about AT&T’s wireless data coverage.

The key facts are:

  • AT&T’s wireless data coverage reaches 303 million people – or 97% of the U.S. population, where they live and work. Our data coverage consists of 3 different types of technology:
    • 3G. 233 million people or 75% of the population are covered by AT&T’s 3G network, the nation’s fastest.
    • EDGE. 301 million people or more than 96% of the population are covered by EDGE.
      • With both 3G and EDGE coverage, customers can access the Internet, send e-mail, surf the Web, stream music, download videos, send photos, text, talk and more. The only difference – with some data applications, 3G is faster than EDGE
    • GPRS. Covers 303 million people, allowing you to talk, text, e-mail and access basic websites optimized for wireless.

AT&T is the #1 network for smartphones, with twice the number of smartphone customers than Verizon, our closest competitor. Some of the reasons include:

Most popular smartphones. Unlike Verizon, AT&T offers the most popular smartphones in the industry.

More wireless apps. Unlike Verizon, AT&T customers have access to more than 100,000 applications, more than with any other wireless company.

Talk and E-mail at the same time. Unlike Verizon, AT&T’s 3G network lets wireless customers simultaneously talk and surf the web or do e-mail.

Fastest 3G in the nation. Unlike Verizon, AT&T has the nation’s fastest 3G network.

Thank you for allowing us to set the record straight. We appreciate your business and will continue to work hard to deliver the best wireless data experience in the industry.

Your AT&T Team

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Chris Leckness is the Owner/Administrator of Mobilitysite. He is a Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices and a member of the exclusive focus group, Mobius. Chris runs a Mobilitysite, GotZune, and a few other smaller sites and blogs. His personal blog is chris.leckness.com.


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  • Most popular smartphones. Unlike Verizon, AT&T offers the most popular smartphones in the industry.

    Because they have the iPhone exclusively. But what does that have to do with 3G coverage (or any data coverage)?

    More wireless apps. Unlike Verizon, AT&T customers have access to more than 100,000 applications, more than with any other wireless company.

    Because they have the iPhone exclusively. But what does that have to do with 3G coverage (or any data coverage)?

    Talk and E-mail at the same time. Unlike Verizon, AT&T’s 3G network lets wireless customers simultaneously talk and surf the web or do e-mail.

    That's a good point, but really isn't about data. I do wish that I could talk and check the Internet for something, but I can't (unless I'm at a PC, of course).

    Fastest 3G in the nation. Unlike Verizon, AT&T has the nation’s fastest 3G network.

    Only in areas where the 3G is deployed. It's a good point, but Verizon's ad didn't mention speed, just coverage.

    So, while AT&T has some good fodder for their own rebuttal ads, they haven't really disproved anything that Verizon claimed.

    Steve
  • That's a good point, but really isn't about data. I do wish that I could talk and check the Internet for something, but I can't (unless I'm at a PC, of course).


    I'm not sure that i get your point. If you are using a BT headset (or even the included earbuds with microphone), why can't you talk and browse the web at the same time on an iPhone (or on any AT&T phone with 3G data?)

    I have definitely seen an error message saying that I cannot use data services while in a voice call, several time, on my VZW phone (oddly, never while talking; I assume that it has a 1x CDMA data connection when I try to do something else, which is trying to use the very weak 3G signal that drops in [rarely] and out [most of the time] at my house.)
  • I'm not sure that i get your point. If you are using a BT headset (or even the included earbuds with microphone), why can't you talk and browse the web at the same time on an iPhone (or on any AT&T phone with 3G data?)

    I have Verizon, so I was wishing that I could talk and use data at the same time on CDMA.

    Steve
  • I agree, AT&T has a long way to go to prove their case, but if I were a Verizon customer I wouldn't be happy to find out that my Verizon 3G was not significantly faster than AT&T's EDGE.

    All this does is encourage someone to leapfrog Sprint's 4G, by going to 6G or something equally nonsensical.
  • I agree, AT&T has a long way to go to prove their case, but if I were a Verizon customer I wouldn't be happy to find out that my Verizon 3G was not significantly faster than AT&T's EDGE.

    Read the Engadget Mobile debunking of AppleInsider's story that I posted earlier today. They claim that 100% of Verizon's 3G network is EV-DO Rev. A and that the EDGE maximum speed is not that close to EV-DO Rev. A.

    Steve
  • @Chris I hear you saying about customers being misled thinking there is no service in the blank areas, i'm not really sure that's what customers are taking away from Verizon's ads but i could be wrong. But Verizon's 3g map of AT&T's coverage, mirrors AT&T's 3g map (when it is differentiated from EDGE coverage)...and i find AT&T being just as disingenuous as they claim Verizon to be, trying to pass of EDGE as a reasonable substitute and even mentioning GPRS...really?

    I bought a 3GS to be on EDGE or GPRS? (theoretically speaking b/c i don't own one).EDGE is fine if i'm sending text only emails, and might be ok for light music streaming if the data speeds are consistent.

    Verizon is calling out AT&T on their 3g network, and though yes AT&T has the faster network, for reliability travelling the US for data AT&T is not it.

    @ Ike Pigott the cdma telco's use the term 3g to describe their highspeed data, b/c 3g has become a buzzword for consumers for fast data. afaik, cdma doesn't have the capability to do voice & data simultaneously.
  • I thought 3G meant that you COULD talk and use data at the same time.

    So, on Verizon, you CAN'T?

    Verizon is representing their 3G network as being comparable to AT&T's, but with greater reach.

    But, if Verizon subscribers cannot in fact do both at the same time, then they ought to be sued, because that is precisely the impression their ad leaves.

    (and yes, being able to surf for answers on your browser while you are on a call with someone is necessary.)
  • Jeff
    "The issue I take with the Verizon ads is that they are claiming that AT&T doesn’t have data coverage in many places when they actually do."

    I must've missed that particular Verizon ad, because the one I've seen shows maps entitled "3G Coverage" and doesn't refer to other types of coverages for *either* company. Oh, and it even includes a disclaimer at the bottom.
    http://fortunebrainstormtech.files.wordpress.co...


    "...they are claiming that AT&T doesn’t have data coverage in many places when they actually do. In fact, the Verizon version of AT&T’s map shows my town with coverage. I am all up on 3G and it’s just fine here."

    So, you are saying the Verizon ad shows that AT&T has 3G in your town, and you are confirming that you do in fact have 3G coverage as Verizon's version of the AT&T map demonstrates. The problem you have is what, then, exactly?
  • Item 1 - I agree, it does say 3G coverage, but the commercials are implying (all of them) that the iPhone or whatever device is not usable in the white areas (non 3G). The maps are not the issue AT&T has with the ads.

    Item 2 - That was a typo, I changed the article to read "In fact, the Verizon version of AT&T’s map shows my town WITHOUT coverage. I am all up on 3G and it’s just fine here."
  • Verizon probably got the AT&T map a while back in preparation for the ad. The map they got probably didn't show your area having 3G. Coverage is constantly changing, but map images are static. You can't expect Verizon to update the map every time the commercial runs, right? ;)

    Steve
  • @ the time of my writing of my article last week, if you checked Verizons' AT&T coverage map, against AT&T's map that actually differentiates their 3g coverage (for which you have to zoom in, i tried to depict it in my article but it was difficult), they look like mirror images, and on AT&T's site they claimed to be up to date to within days. But i'm sure even they are behind in updating their own maps as they extend their network.
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