MG Siegler recently wrote an article on TechCrunch noting that AT&T appears to be beefing up its 3G network in the San Francisco area. He said he’s seeing improved signal strength (several bars where there had been none), and also noted that AT&T says they are also beefing up the network in Atlanta. Apparently it is mostly a matter of adding 850 Mhz networks, which I have heard are better for reception in metro areas (better penetration through skyscrapers, for example).
Although I live in Atlanta, I am not in a position to say whether there are any noticeable improvements in the 3G quality at this point. I often get a signal strength of 5 bars at home anyway, and haven’t really traveled to other parts of town in the past few days. However, I do know there are a few dead spots not too far from me, so it will be interesting to see if these have improved.
Have any of you noticed any improvements on AT&T’s 3G network?
I’ll say this: if AT&T does as good of a job in beefing up the 3G network as they have done overall with their Uverse product, it will be a mighty fine network. I’ve had Uverse for about a month now and am thoroughly pleased with it. The picture quality on my TV is splendid, station switching is instantaneous, I can record up to 4 shows at the same time (while watching another one), the internet speeds are great, and the landline phone quality is great. So, it seems to me that AT&T does have some good tech capabilities, and that it’s a matter of them properly deploying it.
Update (20 Aug 2009): After driving around this morning, I noticed several areas where the signal strength is only 1 or 2 bars. And I am only getting about 3 bars average at my house today. So, if AT&T is upgrading in Atlanta, it does not look like it’s doing any good.
One other thing that AT&T needs, in addition to fixing the 3G problem, is to get some better advertising. If I were to base my carrier selection on advertising, I would definitely go with T-Mobile, which uses the lovely, pleasant, and sexy Catherine Zeta-Jones in some of its commercials. Compare that with AT&T’s use of a sour-faced woman fussing at her kids about rollover minutes. It’s a no-brainer.
The team that put together UVerse did an amazing job. Having said that, they are also unlike any other team within AT&T. They operate in a different management structure and work as a very independent company (with almost a startup-like feel). THEY do amazing things.
AT&T Wireless, however, is much like the telephone side of AT&T (which is not the same group as the UVerse group). They act slowly and I still see too much of the oligpologist attitude there.
Glad that you’re liking UVerse! I love it. Also, it’s great to be back with T-Mobile, where folks actually care for you.
I wasn’t aware that Uverse is under a different management team, but I am not surprised now I think about it. They even showed up for the installation appointment on time and finished within their estimated time allocation.