AT&T has posted the following statement on their website. Here it is, verbatim:
AT&T Sets the Record Straight on Verizon Ads
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
Source: AT&T
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brawndo Drinker” for the heads up.]
“….. Can you hear me now ?…..”
This sort of response to a competitor’s advertising is not a good sign.
Hi, this is AT&T;posting a comment – Our network really does suck. Everything you just read was fluff and a lie. We hope that you continue to drop calls and 3G service using our flimsy network.
This is really sad, on AT&T;’s Part.
It’s been said by many, that the weakest part of the iPhone is the AT&T;network,.
Although I don’t think it’s going to happen i wish the iPhone would come to Verizon. Then you can really compare apples to apples.
I am a loyal Verizon customer. I won’t switch to AT&T;because of the their network. This only makes me more confident in my decision.
@leodavinci: I’m glad AT&T;has responded. I get so sick of misrepresentaion in advertising, although I understand why companies do it. In this case, AT&T;had to respond to avoid being seen as admitting to Verizon’s claims by not responding. Oftentimes silence is taken as an admission of guilt.
They need to exploit the simultaneous voice and data capabilities that they have. This separates the iPhone further from the Droid. How can you call it a smart phone if you can’t talk and do a google search at the same time. This will also show off the iPhones “real” multitasking capabilities.
@MacRtst: Have you read this? http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/verizon-how-much-do-you-charge-now/
“Can you hear me now? Good! You want to hit a movie? Ok, I’m going to hang up now and check those movie times. Call you right back.”
“Can you hear me now?” Great! What? You sent me an email and need my feedback right now? I’m going to hang up now so I can get it. Call you right back.”
If the iPhone were on Verizon’s network they would be having just as many, if not more network congestion. From what I am able to find Verizon’s network load is no where near AT&T;’s – thanks largely to the iPhone. Add to that Verizon’s “3G” network is slower than AT&T;’s.
In my area at least both AT&T;and Verizon coverages are pretty good. But where there are dead zones, they are usually with Verizon, not AT&T;. I’ve had both over the last few years and AT&T;’s is faster and in more places. Of course that will depend largely on where you live and how many iPhones there are around you.
I’ve had T-Mobile, Sprint and now AT&T;. I have come to accept that they all pretty much suck. Its easy to bash AT&T;but I doubt any other company would be better. Verizon’s advertising is misleading, and its cool that they’re getting called out on it.
Yes, Schmluss is right – AT&T;should immediately run an ad in which a Droid-using businessman is showing off a game on his phone to an iPhone -using businessman who is also playing a game. And just as the Droid user is about to get a high score, he gets a call and has to choose between his high score and missing a million dollar deal…he chooses to let it go, the iPhone rings and the iPhone user interrupts *his* game to seal the deal instead. And then goes to get his own high score.
That’s it, ATT. Respond to the multi-million dollar marketing juggernaut of Verizon’s “maps” campaign with a press release.
LMAO!
ATT is falling apart at the seams. If they lose iPhone exclusivity and Verizon gets it in 2010, you will see an exodus from that network like never before (which should be good as it will clear up congestion for the users who remain).
I think the whole point of this is to build anticipation for the Verizon iPhone in summer 2010. The deal might already be done. And we’ll all win as the load of current iPhone customers and millions more to come over the next few years will be split between multiple carriers rather than relying on one to flesh out its fledgling data network.
Or something web-related, I should say, as it has to be something that draws on the 3G service.
bdb
Thanks for the article. I honestly wondered why my bill is never the same, 2 months in a row. I will be checking into that from now on.
I was amazed the other day when a co-worker showed me that her Blackberry (on Verizon, I think) could do Wi-Fi or Voice, but not both at the same time. When she activated Wi-Fi to do digital things (e.g. surfing the web), her Blackberry was no longer a phone.
I don’t know if she is just unaware of how to get her Blackberry to do both at once or if, as suggested by the AT&T;statement, the Verizon network doesn’t permit both to happen at the same time. If that latter, then the iPhone and AT&T;are truly a great advantage.
There is something called advertising wherein a company presents its message in a compellingly clear and creative way to the entire market thorough communications media.
ATT, stop whining and use your marketing power.
Talk and surf at the same time, this is a very usable feature, I learned it a hard way when I was trying to find my friend’s location when he was lost while I was on the phone with him (at that time, I was using first gen iP.)
@maciphonian
The inability of your co-worker’s Blackberry to make calls and use data simultaneously on Verizon is a limitation with CDMA. There is no phone that Verizon can carry that can do data and voice simultaneously. Their network is incapable of it.
ATT should ignore the ads, and work on their spotty network. People chose them because of the iphone anyway. If they improve their 3G coverage, those ads would go away.
Hello, 911 operator
yes! Help, I’ve been in accident. My car rolled over and now gasoline is everywhere!
Sir, where are you?
Ugh, I don’t know.
Sir, do you have general idea where you are?
Well, my phone has a map but I will have to hang up to check it.
Sir, do not hang up. We have people attempting to triangulate your position.
Hurry!!
To quote Jim Norton: “AT&T;has great service, if you live on the roof of the AT&T;building.”
Will people stop using a semi-colon after AT&T;please? It’s utterly unnecessary in my opinion, and grammatically breaks the flow of text!
Is there real data to support the inadequate network that is AT&T;? I have had both, and both have their good and bad areas.
I don’t know about the 96% coverage but at least here in Houston, AT&T;is very reliable. I have been with all three major companies and they all drop calls during peek ours, and they all have dead zones.
I understand what AT&T;is trying to say, but there is nothing false about Verizons claim. Here are the 3G coverage maps, a factual claim. Verizon never says you don’t have data coverage from AT&T;elsewhere. Why would Verizon promote 3G superiority over AT&T;? Because 3G is better than EDGE.