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"Price and availability haven't yet been set for the appliance, which AT&T;calls the 3G MicroCell."

In other words, if you want service, it'll be +/- $80.00 a month, but if you want the service to WORK, it'll be extra.

Hmmm...

So you buy this device probably pay a monthly fee, and then AT&T;charges you for Data even though they are using your home or Office Data connection to provide it. on top of that anyone within the 5,000 Sq Foot range is also using your Data and AT&T;is getting it free. Gotta love this.

Feb 06, 09 - 02:09 pm Comment from: Big Al

Nonsense! The device is free and ATandT gives you a $10 a month discount on your cell phone bill.

You're not dealing with just any cell provider you know.

and this is only a benefit to 3G phones that do not have wifi - like a Blackberry storm? Iphone already has the wifi to connect to broadband when it is available. This unit does not help if there is no router handy.

Feb 06, 09 - 02:18 pm Comment from: Tommy Boy

The device should be in the $200-300 range without any monthly fees, as monthly service should be covered under AT&Ts;existing contracts for the phones that connect to the microcell.

Essentially what the device is, is a backdoor way for AT&T to get its customers to pay for its infrastructure upgrades. That said, there will be some great markets for the microcell device.

If this acts as the Fon network in Spain does, then this will be very useful. Didn't the Fon people meet with Steve Jobs over a year ago? I vaguely remember reading that.

Feb 06, 09 - 02:25 pm Comment from: Tommy Boy

@ photoshopace: I used to live in an apartment with WiFi that had crap GSM signals. The microcell should simply allow people to make phone calls and use functions like Text messaging that only work on the phone network but not WiFi.

Feb 06, 09 - 02:27 pm Comment from: Big Al

Actually, sarcasm aside, if ATandT did give the devices away free with a cash incentive to keep them hooked up with an attached outdoor antenna, they could solve many coverage problems fairly cheaply.

They have 3 choices.
1) Charge a Premium price at $200-300. No monthly fee like Verizon.

2) Charge a small fee $40-60 and then a small monthly fee $3-6.

3) GIVE IT AWAY FREE AND BOOM 3G EVERYWHERE ON THE CHEAP!!!

but third option is probably too bold. plus i dont think many people want to bog down their internet service for everyone else to jump onto. OPTION 1 is the best choice i think.

Feb 06, 09 - 04:07 pm Comment from: ABQ Peter

5000 sq. ft. is only a circle with a 22.5 radius. it won't even cover your whole house, depending on where you can get gps inside the building.

I think I read somewhere else that the MicroCell will be password protected. So you would not be allowing just any passerby to jump on and use up your bandwidth. You would control who had access to your network.

Feb 06, 09 - 04:32 pm Comment from: Dialtone

Now anyone can enjoy the RF from living next to a cell tower!

Look at it another way...how long will it be before someone finds a way to spoof the GPS location so that you can suddenly use your cell phone to call home as a local call from Tokyo or Sydney? AT&Ts;answer to Skype?

RE: ABQ Peter

A 5000 square foot circle has about a 40 foot radius.

pi * radius^2 = area of a circle
3.14 * radius^2 = 5000 feet^2
radius^2 = 5000 feet^2 / 3.14
radius^2 = 1592 feet^2
radius = sqrt(1592 feet^2)
radius = 39.9 feet

@ ook
When I was in Algebra X = D-

This is great news for me. My wife and I don't have landlines. We ported over our business lines to our iPhones. But we are getting ready to move up even higher in the Colorado mountains where there is 1 bar service. Calling Qwest to cancel landline install now.

Oh yeah, thanks MDN editors for using a captcha word that is actually readable.

So I can now pay AT&T;for my minutes and data usage which is piggybacking on my satellite delivered internet service? And also pay my internet service provider for the same bandwidth usage? Sounds like a hell of a deal. Why not just use the iPhone via wifi hotspot at home? Somebody wanna clue me in here??

Feb 07, 09 - 12:21 am Comment from: Macable

It would be great if Apple built this technology (3G MicroCell) into Macs.

Awesome idea! Now if they just sell a service to cnovince my work not to have me drawn and quartered for hooking up an unauthorized network device to their network so I can get the same signal strength all my Verizon friends enjoy, I'll be all set.

Cool idea if where you work doesn't care about that kind of thing.

I wonder if you hook it up to a 12v supply and pack it up after activation, you could move it to a another place or country.

I stay in one spot in Japan a lot - would be great to get calls and VM from america there on GSM =D

Could you falsify the GPS locator, and make it think its in one city, while its really across the country? Long distance charged as local? Sorry - I look for loopholes.

Ah, "Daily Reader" was riding the loophole train too...