iPhone overload

ZDNet:

Following yesterday’s piece on how the iPhone (or, more specifically, iPhone users) are strangling the AT&T network, I’ve been hit by a deluge of emails from customers giving me their side of the story.

It’s not a pretty picture for AT&T....

...

We know that AT&T will be spending a significant chunk of change on upgrading the network over the next year (the majority of the $18 billion network budget in fact), but it’s hard to know if this will make any difference. If the natural limits of unlimited data plan that iPhone users are now on is usage, then iPhone users will simply suck harder at the data teat. Also, AT&T will roll out multimedia messaging (MMS) on the iPhone on September 25th, and is under increasing pressure to allow data tethering, all of which will place untold pressure on the network.

My bet is that things won’t improve much until the iPhone is opened out to other carriers and the load is spread more evenly.

...


iPhone users are having the same problem I have had with Hughesnet. Both have oversold their hardware, and their networks are not able to keep up with demand. That is why Hugesnet has resorted to rationing.

I recently switched from Sprint to Verizon because the former service was deteriorating in my rural area because it was also oversubscribed. So far the Verizon service seems to be better. I opted for the Blackberry Curve, and am still struggling with the "learning curve" on the new equipment, but I have been able to access PrairiePundit which I could not do on my old phones internet connection.

I did look at the iPhone and believe it is probably the coolest piece of hardware on the market right now, but AT&T service in this area already sucked before they oversold the iPhone. At this point I would not recommend either the iPhone or Hughesnet for people looking for service that is going to hookup on a regular basis.

The NY Times has also noticed the dissatisfaction with the IPhone. I hope they also notice the problem with Hughesnet. Since people are locked into two year contracts with both services, it not like you can escape the poor service and change carriers. There needs to be some consequence for locking users into poor service.

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