American's #1 wireless service provider in terms of customer size, AT&T Inc. today reported fourth-quarter results highlighted by solid momentum across key growth areas. Wireless service revenues grew 9.2 percent, driven by industry-leading subscriber growth and continued rapid adoption of data services. AT&T U-verse subscriber gains topped 1 million for the year. Wireline IP-based services and strategic business products both posted strong double-digit revenue growth.

# 2.7 million fourth-quarter net addition in total wireless subscribers, the second highest quarterly net gain in the company's history; full-year wireless net adds totaled 7.3 million, equaling the company's best-ever annual total, to reach 85.1 million subscribers in service

Full Press Release can be found here.

AT&T mobile broadband customers are increasingly using the the AT&T network. AT&T reported that its customers made a record 85.5 million connections to the Internet in 2009 using AT&T Wi-Fi network, four times the number of Wi-Fi connections made in 2008.

In the fourth quarter 2009, customers made 35.3 million Wi-Fi connections - up 10 million connections from the third quarter of 2009. Fourth quarter connections also surpassed the number of connections made in the entire first half of 2009.

AT&T, expects Wi-Fi usage to continue to surge as more customers utilize Wi-Fi on their smartphones and integrated devices and have Wi-Fi included with their service.

 Smartphones and integrated devices accounted for 72 percent of fourth-quarter connections and 61 percent of the total connections in 2009.

source: wirelessandmobilenews

AT&T would need to spend about US$5 billion on its wireless network to catch up with the coverage offered by Verizon Wireless, a financial research firm said Tuesday.

The public's perception of AT&T's network is poor and declining, apparently because of real shortcomings when compared with Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel, said Gerard Hallaren, director of research at TownHall Investment Research. The company hosted a conference call about AT&T for investors in conjunction with WJB Capital Group. TownHall announced it has reduced its rating of AT&T from "Favorable" to "Neutral."

Read the complete story at PCworld

AT&T* today announced new unlimited plans across all devices -including its industry-leading lineup of smartphones - to provide more value and choice for customers who want to talk, text and surf on the nation's fastest 3G network.

"With more than twice the number of smartphone customers as our nearest competitor, we are committed to offering great value and choice for customers who want to talk, text and surf on the nation's fastest 3G network," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "Our new plans reflect customers' continuing desire to do more with their phones - including talking and browsing the Web at the same time. Plus these new plans make it even more attractive to choose AT&T which already offers customers the best 3G experience and the industry's most popular and innovative devices."

The new plans, which will be available beginning Monday, Jan. 18, can be ordered at AT&T's 2,200 company-owned retail stores and kiosks, through convenient online service at www.att.com, or at one of the thousands of authorized AT&T retail locations.

• * Feature Phone customers may choose unlimited talk for $69.99. Family Talk customers (prices assume two lines) may choose unlimited talk for $119.99 per month. Texting plans remain unchanged at $20 for unlimited plans for individuals and $30 for Family Talk plans.

• * Quick Messaging Device customers may choose unlimited talk and text for $89.99 per month. Quick Messaging Device customers with Family Talk plans may choose unlimited talk and text for $149.99 per month (for two lines). These prices include a required minimum of $20 per month for individual plans and $30 per month for Family Talk plans in texting and/or Web browsing plans for new and upgrading customers.

• * All smartphone customers, including iPhone customers, may now buy unlimited voice and data for $99.99. For smartphone customers with Family Talk plans (prices assume 2 smartphones), unlimited voice and data is now available for $179.99. Texting plans remain unchanged at $20 for unlimited plans for individuals, $30 for Family Talk Plans.

read rest of AT&T's press release at BGR

Looks to me like AT&T will be getting both Palm and Android Devices in 2010. Here's what's based from Gizmodo.

AT&T's still rolling with Palm, eventually, along with Android. Is that what Palm's announcing tomorrow? AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega says they're going to have two webOS phones-revamped Pre and Pixi?

Source: Gizmodo

Late last night, someone at cnet got the news that iPhone isn't offered in NYC, what??! first thing came to my mind was "Is it due to the consumer complains about the data congestion?  AT&T won't admit that, but it's very likely that's the true reason behind cutting the sale in NYC.

We have heard many people complains about AT&T's outrage on the networks, a lot of people can't even make phone calls, truth of the matter is too many iphone users are killing AT&T's services with congests data usage.

cnet: One customer service representative hinted that data congestion may be the reason for the suspension, telling The Consumerist that "New York is not ready for the iPhone. You don't have enough towers to handle the phone."

source: news.cnet.com

I've been using the Motorola Droid free Navigator app by google for sometime now, so my impression of it is actually pretty good.  It gave me what i need, and get me to where I wanted to go.  But how does it stack up with the AT&T's Navigator on the iPhone you may asked?

Someone at Mobile crunch just did a nice compare. (Please note the, AT&T Navigator is not free, but $10/month )

Here's a quick comment from Todd Witkemper, from Telenav:

In general, here are a few differentiators that TeleNav products provide that Google Navigation does not have:

 

• Proven map data that is consistently updated (I've read multiple reviews of Google Navigation where the reviewer received incorrect routing)
• Online preplanning/account management
• A real person's voice for majority of audio commands (vs. text to speech computerized voice)
• Proactive traffic alerts with one-click rerouting (you don't have to change views to see traffic updates)
• Real-time gas prices, weather, WiFi hot spot listings, commute alerts and movie listings/ticket purchasing (movie info on AT&T Navigator 1.8)
• Route style options like avoiding HOV lanes and toll roads

 

• Location-sharing

 

TeleNav also supports more than 500 devices in multiple countries.

 

via: mobilecrunch.com

AT&T is getting kill on this one, doesn't matter how many ads commercial they booked on TV, what's more important is it's user reviews. apprently the service has gone so bad that even Saturday Night Live started to making fun of it's receiption.

Here's AT&T's excuse: 

""AT&T's data throughput is 40 to 50 percent higher than the competition, including Verizon," Mr. Carter said. AT&T is a client and Verizon is not, he added."  "This year, Root Wireless ran 4.7 million tests on smartphones for each of the four major carriers, spread across seven metropolitan areas: Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles/Orange County, New York, Seattle/Tacoma, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Washington. In every market, AT&T had faster average download speeds and had signal strength of 75 percent or better more frequently than did Verizon. (A Verizon spokesman declined to comment about these test results or those of Global Wireless Solutions.)

Enjoy the video.

Thanks engadgetmobile.com for this news.

Well, at least they are doing something about it.  But it's pretty funny that they can't even tell using their own internal system, AT&T has developed an app call the "Mark of the Spot" to help them find out where the trouble networks are.

If you own an iPhone, go check out the app

via: boygeniusreport.com

The annual survey of wireless customer satisfaction from Consumer Reports hits the streets this week and it doesn't have much good to say about AT&T. In a canvass of more than 50,000 readers spanning 26 U.S. cities, the organization found the carrier had the lowest customer-satisfaction rating in 19 cities surveyed; Verizon ranked highest.

But to find that the carrier placed last in 17 other cities as well suggests that AT&T's shortcomings are more widespread than the carrier would have us believe and not simply the product of a high concentration of iPhones in the country's larger cities.

As Pali analyst Walter Piecyk wrote in an investor note this morning, "We believe it has been an elitist investor view that only a few high profile AT&T markets are having problems on the theory that only ‘tech savvy' residents of coastal cities would find enough use in the iPhone to impact the quality of AT&T's network."

via: digitaldaily.allthingsd.com