AT&T what am I going to do with you?
Yesterday AT&T announced the national roll out of their 3G MicroCell, beginning in mid-April. If you are not familiar with the AT&T’s MicroCell let me explain it briefly: the device allows people to route wireless calls and data through their home broadband connection. AT&T is going to charge customers a one time fee of $149.99 for the purchase of the MicroCell.
You can manage the device on their website and add up to ten lines allowing access to the MicroCell, but only four lines can use the MicroCell at one given time. In addition, AT&T offers an optional $19.99 unlimited monthly calling plan with the device. The calling plan is designed to let you make unlimited calls through the MicroCell without it affecting your monthly minute plan. If you purchase the plan, AT&T offers a $100 rebate towards the purchase of the MicroCell, effectively costing you only $50. Another incentive offered by AT&T, if you purchase their broadband connection (1.5mb or higher) or U-verse, you are eligible for a $50 rebate towards the MicroCell.
The Problem:
I think the entire idea of AT&T charging customers to improve their network is ridiculous. Where I currently live AT&T only offers an EDGE connection. So let me get this straight, AT&T wants to charge me $150 to use my internet connection so I can make wireless calls from home. Ultimately, I am helping them charge me for service I pay monthly for to begin with. I already pay my cable company for my internet connection and now I am going to get charged to let AT&T use it. This is crazy! For me this only solves the problem at home. As soon as I leave the house I will be back roaming on EDGE and searching for a local WiFi spot to send a picture.
My next problem I have is AT&T charging people $20 for unlimited calling through the MicroCell. I currently have a family plan through AT&T and as of today have 4,522 rollover minutes. There would never be a reason for me to purchase the additional plan and I am sure I am not the only one. AT&T simply needs to get their act together and provide its customers with the 3G service we already pay for every month, but cannot use.
You should check out AT&T’s site for the MicroCell because the videos are pretty amusing. In the videos they actually admit how bad the service is in some areas. The male actor tries to get a signal holding his phone out the window like a “human antenna”. I have actually done this before. You can check out the videos here.
The Solution:
The first solution is simple, AT&T should provide the MicroCell for FREE to any customer currently not in a supported 3G area. If AT&T showed some good will towards helping out customers, it would really help their reputation in the long run. I feel like AT&T is trying to make money on a problem they have created and by offering the MicroCell to customers for free will help out.
Second, AT&T is charging you when Skype is free. I can easily use the Skype app on my iPhone to place calls over WiFi. Even if I purchased a Skype plan it would only set me back $2.95 per month for unlimited calling compared to the $20 AT&T is getting away with.
Final Thoughts:
My hope is for people to realize AT&T is trying to capitalize on a situation which frustrates customers. Some people will be willing to pay the money just to get working service at home when really AT&T is just routing calls via your internet connection and charging you for it. So if you are listening, Ralph de la Vega, do something and give already paying customers what they really deserve: a free MicroCell.
$149.99 for this? WTF?
Ya…but what am I going to do? I need the service to work at home
If you have WiFi at home you should use Skype for making calls. It's essentially the same thing. Skype only charges $2.95 per month for unlimited calling compared to AT&T's $19.99 a month.
Total joke!
I'm curious, does using this device eat up your minutes? If not, there is potential for lowering the number of minutes purchased in the monthly plan.
Hey Andy, Yes it will eat up your monthly minutes unless you buy the $19.99 unlimited plan AT&T is offering. Yes there is potential but for doing the same thing, Skype will only charge you $2.95 per month for unlimited calling… Check it out, http://www.skype.com/prices/
Great Review – I would love one of these because like you, my voice coverage at my home is terrible. I like how this works by routing calls through WiFi. I'm going to check out AT&T's site to see how this is configured so that my neighbors cannot tap into it – also, I'm curious how the phone knows how to use it. Is it basically a mini 3G tower? Skype is cool, but not really a solution to this problem as the whole idea is making your one number work well in a location that your regular service is lacking – adding Skype is just another number to keep track of and such – but I guess if you forward your calls to your Skype account it would make it a little easier.. I wonder if AT&T would be willing to lower the price to keep a customer on their network. When I moved into my new apartment I learned that cell carriers will sometimes let you out of your contract without penalties if they move to a home that doesn't have good coverage. Maybe this leverage to get a free MicroCell!
None of this is really a solution. The main problem is AT&T's lack of coverage and their solution to charge customers for their bad coverage. I would have no problem with the MicroCell if AT&T would give it to customers for free that are affected by their horrible coverage. I just think charging people for something we pay for every month to begin with is crazy… Yes, Skype will provide you with a different number but it beats paying AT&T's $19.99 every month considering Skype only charges $2.95 for the same service. The fact is AT&T needs to fix the problem and a solution would be to give us the MicroCell for free.
If I bought this I could go from 1400 minutes to 700 minutes. I get discounts so this would save me $18 a month. On the plus side, I should enjoy better call quality at home. I may bite… I'd be willing to pay slightly more for improved service.
If you do end up getting the MicroCell, let us know how it works out for you. Thanks for reading!
I'll be getting one. There are situations where it ISN"T AT&Ts fault that a phone won't work. For example……my house. It's located in a neighborhood that is in a small valley. On three sides there are hills….effectively blocking reception from 3 sides. My house is constructed of 6 inch thick limestone blocks attached to solar board. For those not familiar solar board is plywood with a insulating foil on one side. So….hills on three sides, foil covered plywood and stone, all topped off with…a metal roof. None of the cell providers get a decent signal inside my house. Its worth it to me to cough up $150 to not have my phone's battery discharge itself as it turns up the juice trying to contact the mothership. Many is the time I have unplugged my phone…..done some work around the house for a few hours only to find when I leave the house the phone has burned through half its charge.
I don't live in a rural setting. I live in the middle of the city in Austin Texas. It's just the way my house is constructed and frankly a lot of buildings are very good at blocking cell reception.
Now this disclaimer……I used to think folks in NYC were just whining about their coverage by AT&T……then I went there. Sorry for doubting you New York….coverage does indeed suck there.
I'll be getting one. There are situations where it ISN"T AT&Ts fault that a phone won't work. For example……my house. It's located in a neighborhood that is in a small valley. On three sides there are hills….effectively blocking reception from 3 sides. My house is constructed of 6 inch thick limestone blocks attached to solar board. For those not familiar solar board is plywood with a insulating foil on one side. So….hills on three sides. Foil covered plywood behind 6 inch thick limestone blocks and to top it off…..a metal roof. My house is terrible for reception from any of the providers.
Well I agree with you on that one. I hope it helps out your coverage. Let us know if you get one and if you see an improvement. Good luck , I hope it works for you. That must be frustrating.
Good news and bad news: the Microcell really does provide five-bar reception around a large house. Great for at-home business users. Bad news is it's a 3G radio-only device. My wife's older Samsung phone won't work because it does not support 3G, enen with a 3G SIM card. So qualify your phone first. Also, the Microcell will only hand off to a cell tower (think leaving home in the morning). It will not switch to the home Microcell from a tower if a call is in process.
Moreover, be aware that if you do not buy the $19.95 minutes plan, you'll be using your plan's minutes while using the Microcell. And finally, minutes are minutes; you'll have to have a data plan to surf the web. In that case, you should buy a WiFi-capable phone.