AT&T Inc. today announced its board of directors has approved an agreement to purchase spectrum licenses covering 196 million people in the 700 MHz frequency band from Aloha Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership.
“Customer demand for mobile services, including voice, data and video, is continually increasing,” said Forrest Miller, group president-corporate strategy and development, in the press release. “Aloha’s spectrum will enable AT&T to efficiently meet this growing demand and help our customers stay connected to their worlds.”
The transaction enhances AT&T’s spectrum position by adding 12 MHz of spectrum covering 196 million people in 281 markets. The spectrum covers many major metropolitan areas, including 72 of the top 100 and all of the top 10 markets in the United States.
AT&T will pay approximately $2.5 billion in cash for the licenses. The company anticipates receiving necessary government approvals and closing the transaction within six to nine months.
Source: AT&T
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Kevin P.” for the heads up.]
Ironically, everyone at the meeting was wired.
ATT is not the same ATT of old, unfortunately.
In IL ATT now requires FULL 10 digit dialing. Even to call the other side of the same building.
In other areas and in the past, when a new area code was added, people were not forced to use 10 digit dialing.
Instead of dong this right, they make the customers jump through hoops and accommodate them.
12 MHz? They could do alot with that, if they don’t have to split it up too much.
analog TV is only 6 MHz, and it is a hog!
Tomorrow ze world!
Al,
Get a grip, bud, seriously. If this is honestly a problem, the rest of life must just have you on your knees sobbing.
Best of luck to you.
I hope it helps my iPhone here in little ol’ Queen Creek,AZ. cuz my reception is sh*t. I can use my phone pretty much anywhere except in my own neigborhood, go figure.
ATT is not the same ATT of old, unfortunately.
In IL ATT now requires FULL 10 digit dialing. Even to call the other side of the same building.
In other areas and in the past, when a new area code was added, people were not forced to use 10 digit dialing.
Instead of dong this right, they make the customers jump through hoops and accommodate them.
Get a decent phone Al, then put speed dial in it for all in your address book. On second thoughts – get an address book first.
In a couple of years you might consider an iPhone – does everything you want. ron.
Now if they can acquire a wireless speculum, I’ll REALLY be impressed.
area codes are no longer area codes in some states. i know maryland has been like that for a while. geographical areas can be covered by more than one “area” code, which requires dialing ten digits.
al, you have to watch those ‘dongs’.
“ATT is not the same ATT of old, unfortunately.
In IL ATT now requires FULL 10 digit dialing. Even to call the other side of the same building.
In other areas and in the past, when a new area code was added, people were not forced to use 10 digit dialing.”
Dude, it’s called an “overlay” system. It’s what happens when the local business community doesn’t want to change their assigned area codes to accomodate the need for a new code. New numbers are then simply assigned the new area code randomly without regard to geographical location. This requires EVERYONE to dial 10 digits. Blame your local business community for not wanting to spend a few bucks changing the area codes on advertisements, stationary, and business cards, not AT&T;.
Why do some people write “ATT”.. it’s “AT&T;”. Believe it or not, the “&” is actually part of their name. If you name was George, it wouldn’t be write to called you “Gorge”.
I think this is good news. And I don’t doubt for a second that the iPhone is part of their motivation to improve.
Did I miss something here? Besides being the carrier that Apple’s iPhone uses… how is this Mac news?
Just hope it leads to AT&T;covering more areas so that I can get an iPhone.
Al
Not to kill a dead horse, but until around 1994, we only had to dial 5 digits to talk to anyone in my hometown.
If it weren’t for all those damn fax machines, modems and cell phones…..CURSE YOU, PROGRESS, YOU HAVE RUINED IT ALL!!!
My number in Inishowen, Donegal, Ireland, was 35. The phone had a crank (no comments please), and weighed about 10 lbs. The people who put the phone in had to pay 2 years in advance, to pay for the telephone poles to be installed over the mountain.
Straight up!
While I don’t believe that at&t;is a kind and gentle entity; I do find it amazing to think that people assume they have this power over the telephone numbering system. Perhaps you should direct your rage towards the business community and at NANPA http://www.nanpa.com/
Maybe I’m missing something here but:
1. I agree with Ted that this article has almost nothing to do with Apple Inc.
2. What on God’s green earth does area codes have to do with AT&T;purchasing more spectrum? I’m glad they’re doing so and I hope it will help the company’s coverage for the iPhone (that’s right…the one link that makes this post even remotely applicable to a website titled “MACdailynews.com”
My question is; how do I get AT&T;to put a tower on my land??
I’ve been told how by a rep for them, but don’t really care for how they want to go about it—not as direct as I’d like it to be. (You pretty much have to send info of what/where you want the tower via snail mail and wait to hear back). Anyone have a suggestion as to how I can more directly contact AT&T;? I’d like the reception (when I get an iPhone)/supplemental income
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Hey 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzene-1,2-diol
This IS a wireless spectrum… That’s the whole point.
shiftOpt k:
Be careful what you wish for. While you may be thinking you’ll get better reception with a tower on your land (you may or may not), you lose all control of the land, access road to the tower location, etc. I’ve negotiated a couple of these leases, and while you get some extra money each month, it isn’t a huge amount. And don’t plan on using the land for 20-30 years, plus you may make your land less valuable or less likely to sell if you wish to sell it before the lease is up.
In New Jersey, where Verizon is king, you also have 10-digit dialing. This is by no means an AT&T;thing. As everyone above already said, it’s a consequence of progress.
but, if two numbers are in the same area code, you should not have to dial the full 10 digit number. Even in the same office building. I lived through this in NJ and in NY. It was better thought out and implemented.
BTW, it is not a big deal, but an example of how lazy ATT has become.
@ 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzene-1,2-diol
read the comment again… 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzene-1,2-diol was making a joke.
Thanks for looking out. I’m still in the ‘preliminary’ research stages of all this, so any and all info / advise on the topic is greatly appreciated. I haven’t really thought about all the stuff you’ve mentioned either, so now I have that to consider. How did you go about negotiating the leases? Also, I’ve got approx 52 acres and only want them to use the minimal amount they need… is there any problem in that? Do they think they’ll have all control over the entire 52 acres? The not using it isn’t an issue with me as it’s just agricultural land… and hasn’t been used in quite a few years. Either way, you’ve brought forth some serious issues to consider… and have made me start to rethink the whole thing. Thanks again for your advice on this.
Al, here in southern IL, using Verizon, I have to dial 10-digit numbers for any numbers outside the local calling group (whatever the correct terminology is). Even though the area code for all of us is the same, 618. Also, for cell phone numbers within the local calling group, I have to dial 10 digits if the person has traveled outside their home area. It’s not just AT&T;.
“In IL ATT now requires FULL 10 digit dialing. Even to call the other side of the same building.”
EVERYONE in North America is going to full 10 digit dialing, even here in Canada, so don’t blame AT&T;.
To the anonymous @ reply:
Try some more of me in your head.
It might promote more meaningful reading comprehension.
I’m needed in the frontal lobe. Excuse me.
I am talking about calling existing numbers in the same company in the same exact building. Not new numbers with a new area code.
In NJ and New York you can still dial 7 numbers if you want to call the other old existing number that you have had for years in the same building with the same area code.
I agree this isn’t Mac News. But this is sad news surely? This spectrum is now never going to become free WiFi via Google subsidized through their online advertising model.
Dialing codes? who cares? isn’t that what fast-dail shortcuts are for?
Give me some real Mac News – like are there any unknown secrets left in the Gold release of Leopard?
All this talk of telephones is boring…..
@Me hah
Unknown secrets – oxymoron