AT&T uverse to cap data usage.

[RainMaker]

We used T-Mobile for work cell phones years ago and it wasn't that bad. They had some great rates on Blackberries and I didn't have many problems with calls. But I personally moved to AT&T a couple years ago and had to cancel early because their service is so atrocious.

I feel sorry for those on T-Mobile, I guess try and get out of that contract as soon as possible.

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Where does that leave Sprint, other than screwed?

SI

I think Sprint will probably become a more pronounced cable operator partner company (or they may get simply bought out by one or more of them). They already partner with some cable ops in some ways so it fills a need/bundle for both to expand on that.

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Could've started a new thread for this.

AT&T to Buy T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion - NYTimes.com

I'm not sure I buy the duopoly concept. I think if anything, it'll get more competitive. (2K Sports and EA Sports in NFL games)

Being somebody who works in the general communications industry, I think large consolidations of "Service" providers ultimately hurts the economy & consumers more than it really helps spur on new technologies & consumer value.

There's an intersection between consolidation of competitors & industry value add. If you have 1,000 companies all providing the same service to 10,000 consumers each....then it is difficult to innovate as quickly, provide "cheaper" services, roll out new technologies, or even get agreement of those technologies so that everybody can standardize the general approach and move forward. The opposite happens if those 1,000 become 10 companies...and the 10 serve 1M each. Where the 10 companies can agree on technology standardization quicker, implement more quickly, but have less competitors to drive prices down, and can have some level of impact on local economies as they close down redundant jobs.

It's a tough balancing act between the 2...but I think this is likely to help drive down prices in the mid-term and help roll out better technology later assuming the economy improves enough to allow it.

[stevew]

We called Sprint to get their response, but their spokesperson broke up repeatedly and then dropped the call. We attempted to call him back but he had no record of receiving the call.

-my thoughts about the Sprint service I received.

[Klinglerware]

The deal will result in a near-monopoly on GSM service in the US, with the terms dictated by AT&T. Probably only a minority of customers will be adversely affected by this, but it appears that I may be one of them.

As a satisfied T-mobile customer who is now month-to-month off-contract, with a very nice grandfathered data plan and an unlocked 3G device, I am not pleased. I can look forward to:

1. Significantly higher rates, if AT&T does not honor my current status with T-mobile
2. Higher international roaming rates (yes, I can get local sim cards in the countries I go to, or do VOIP--but there is a certain convenience to having a phone that "just works" on a 1 or 2 day business trip abroad)
3. More restrictive tethering policies
4. Most importantly: AT&T: T-Mobile 3G phones will need to be replaced - Yahoo! News My current mobile's 3G capability will be rendered useless

So, I am hoping that the deal does not get approved. Another plus of a failed merger is that T-mobile and AT&T appear to have agreed to develop a more substantive roaming agreement as part of the overall break-up agreement. That's potentially useful (when traveling to places where one provider has coverage while another does not)

[RainMaker]

I would write your representatives asking them to put pressure to not allow this to happen. We need competition so we don't fall even further behind the rest of the world.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Klinglerware;2443880[url="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110321/ap_on_hi_te/us_at_t_t_mobile_usa_phones"

AT&T: T-Mobile 3G phones will need to be replaced - Yahoo! News[/url] My current mobile's 3G capability will be rendered useless

Okay, I think we're going overboard a little here. The 3G phones will need to be replaced in about one to two years from now. Seriously, wouldn't you replace your phone by then?

On the flipside, I thought AT&T's presentation was pretty funny: AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom

I looked up LightSquared because I had never heard of them and their goal of providing 100MB/s is funny. I'm not sure that even that goal is a good one even with the mobility aspect.

[Klinglerware]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Okay, I think we're going overboard a little here. The 3G phones will need to be replaced in about one to two years from now. Seriously, wouldn't you replace your phone by then?

As I said, I'm probably a niche case. I don't expect most people to have an issue with the potential change.

The reason for my concern has less to do with my hardware, but more to do with the OS I use. My phone runs a Linux OS variant (that sadly has been dead-ended by Nokia) that's probably more computer than phone. I really use it more as a mini-computer rather than a phone: Android and iOS just don't have that same feel for me (i.e. those OS's feel like phone first, computer second). I like the "hackability" on this OS that I can't really get with other OS's. I can do neat things like run full Debian that would have given my device more of a life-span compared to the average phone.

As open-source mobile has proven to be a commercial no-go (and has been killed off accordingly), I do not expect another "linux phone" any time soon on any carrier. Wanting to maximize the shelf life of what I have now is really my main concern--especially since I am so satisfied with what I can do with it already. And, T-mobile has always been more open to letting it's customers experiment and try to use their devices to the fullest, compared to AT&T--so, I am concerned that I will lose that ability if/once the deal is fully implemented.

[PilotMan]

Here is a result from a hotel in Birmingham that I am at tonight. Not to shabby for public internet.

[MrBug708]

I just did a speed test for my house...I have a faster internet speed than only 14% of California.

Ouch

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

My current TWC RoadRunner. That download is faster than it had been a bit ago, upload still slow, but I wonder how much PowerBoost fools this. The number starts in the high 20s and degrades to that 18.5 over time. I'd love to know what the more sustained number is.

Just had Road Runner Extreme (30/5) installed. New results:



What was nice about this is it went straight to around 30 and stayed stable, so no PowerBoost spiking it up.

[markprior22]

I just downgraded to Comcasts economy internet (1.5 mbs download). Will I still be able to play XBox or PS3 online?

[PilotMan]

Here is what $11/day high speed looks like at a higher end, Houston hotel, near the AP.



That shouldn't even be allowed.

[jeff061]

I'm not sure I've ever seen a hotel that matches tethering off my cell.

FIOS finally coming to my area this summer, going to have some choices for once.

[Passacaglia]

That speedtest looks like a cool site -- does it tell you your internet speed regardless of how slow your computer is?

[Peregrine]

I have Uverse, and am not looking forward to this cap - I want to find out though, what kind of "bandwidth usage meter" they are going to provide - right now they say they have it but it doesn't work, and I would think it would be necessary for this cap.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Here is what $11/day high speed looks like at a higher end, Houston hotel, near the AP.



That shouldn't even be allowed.

From a Korean hotel.

[RainMaker]

USA! USA! USA!

[sterlingice]

Holy crap- I'd kill to have those speeds in the US. But you have to love the: "Grade A- Faster than 82% of Korea" which means almost 20% of people there are even faster.

Then again, I don't have much use for super speeds but if we had them, I'm sure we'd find uses for them.

SI

[rjolley]

Anyone know if AT&T is planning on increasing the number of active connections you're allowed? We're looking into it and from what I've read, you can only have up to 4 live + recordings of live session going on at one time. So, if you are recording 2 shows and watching 2 other shows, you've hit your limit. Furthermore, not all of those shows can be HD.

Is this correct and, if it is, is there way around it?

[Peregrine]

The limit is 4 total live feeds coming into your house at a time - 2 HD and 2 SD. So you could be recording two HD shows at once, and 2 SD shows at the same time. Watching already-recorded shows on your DVR doesn't count against this limit. Also, watching the same show on two TVs doesn't take up a second feed, so you could be watching a live HD show on two TVs, and still recording a separate HD show and up to two SD shows, as well as watching recorded stuff. For me this has not been a problem at all, though for some people who have a lot of separate TVs it could be an issue.

I don't think there is any way around this limit - I think it is built in to the hardware infrastructure for Uverse.

[General Mike]

[rjolley]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

The limit is 4 total live feeds coming into your house at a time - 2 HD and 2 SD. So you could be recording two HD shows at once, and 2 SD shows at the same time. Watching already-recorded shows on your DVR doesn't count against this limit. Also, watching the same show on two TVs doesn't take up a second feed, so you could be watching a live HD show on two TVs, and still recording a separate HD show and up to two SD shows, as well as watching recorded stuff. For me this has not been a problem at all, though for some people who have a lot of separate TVs it could be an issue.

I don't think there is any way around this limit - I think it is built in to the hardware infrastructure for Uverse.

That was my understanding as well.

Thanks for replying. I think we're still going to try out Uverse. Since we have a year left on our contract with DirecTV, I'm going to get Uverse in my office and the media room to try it out, while the rest of the house sticks with DirecTV. I want it more for the faster internet speeds. The rest of it is gravy.

[Rizon]

We upgraded from AT&T to Comcast at work ... holy crap ...
Went from 5d/0.5u to:

[GrantDawg]

I just switched to Uverse today, and my tech said it is now 3HD+1SD show. Just FYI

[rjolley]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

I just switched to Uverse today, and my tech said it is now 3HD+1SD show. Just FYI

We're getting rid of the tv service and are going back to DirecTV for those tvs. The service would freeze for 30-90 seconds way too often. We'd rather get a clean signal that goes out from time to time in rain than a signal that pauses in the middle of something you're trying to watch or have recorded. My wife and I watched a show the other night that we had recorded. It froze at least 5 times at 30-45 seconds each. And it recorded in the middle of the night, so no one was using the Internet at the time.

According to the tech that was out for one of the service calls, the 3HD/1SD limit is determined by your distance from the hub. The further away you are, the less HD streams you get. And they're working on allowing more.

Overall, it's a solid service. Just too many issues to warrant having it over DirecTV. Now, the Internet service has been solid, except for the POS 2Wire routers that I've had. Can you use any router in place of that?

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Klinglerware

My phone runs a Linux OS variant (that sadly has been dead-ended by Nokia) that's probably more computer than phone. I really use it more as a mini-computer rather than a phone: Android and iOS just don't have that same feel for me (i.e. those OS's feel like phone first, computer second). I like the "hackability" on this OS that I can't really get with other OS's. I can do neat things like run full Debian that would have given my device more of a life-span compared to the average phone.

Strange you might say that BUT nearly every phone is a Linux/Unix offshoot these days - Android is hugely Linux based and you can even log into it and mess around with its innards if you're geekily orientated.

Even the iPhone is largely Unix based - as its based on the OSX operating system which is primarilarly based on BSD Unix.

(end geek information service)

Oh and my speed from Brighthouse network - which I'm paying far more than is sensible for ...

[Butter]

Originally Posted by rjolley

We're getting rid of the tv service and are going back to DirecTV for those tvs. The service would freeze for 30-90 seconds way too often. We'd rather get a clean signal that goes out from time to time in rain than a signal that pauses in the middle of something you're trying to watch or have recorded. My wife and I watched a show the other night that we had recorded. It froze at least 5 times at 30-45 seconds each. And it recorded in the middle of the night, so no one was using the Internet at the time.

We recently moved. UVerse couldn't even install for 3 weeks, so instead we were going to go with our Time Warner Cable for Internet and DirecTV for TV route again. We had TWC out to put in the internet, then the next day, DirecTV was out and said they couldn't install due to giant trees blocking the satellites. Well, shit.

So, we check the UVerse website, and they have installation dates for the next day somehow. So they came out and installed, and we have the 3 HD/1 SD feed. We also have 2 of the wireless boxes, which is nice. But we also have had the freezing issues, about a month in, and it seems to be getting worse rather than better. Ours will usually just briefly stutter... maybe a 1-2 second delay and you may miss a word or two of dialogue. But having that happen like 10 times an hour gets old pretty fast. We are reconsidering our hatred of TWC for cable, but hopefully we can just get AT&T out here to fix some settings or something to make the stuttering go away.

[rjolley]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

We recently moved. UVerse couldn't even install for 3 weeks, so instead we were going to go with our Time Warner Cable for Internet and DirecTV for TV route again. We had TWC out to put in the internet, then the next day, DirecTV was out and said they couldn't install due to giant trees blocking the satellites. Well, shit.

So, we check the UVerse website, and they have installation dates for the next day somehow. So they came out and installed, and we have the 3 HD/1 SD feed. We also have 2 of the wireless boxes, which is nice. But we also have had the freezing issues, about a month in, and it seems to be getting worse rather than better. Ours will usually just briefly stutter... maybe a 1-2 second delay and you may miss a word or two of dialogue. But having that happen like 10 times an hour gets old pretty fast. We are reconsidering our hatred of TWC for cable, but hopefully we can just get AT&T out here to fix some settings or something to make the stuttering go away.

It's much worse on my wife's tv than mine, which is the dvr unit and where the line comes in from outside. My guess is we're too far from the central box for our loop to get a consistently good signal. From what the tech told me, there are two types of setups, one with a residential gateway and one without. I have the one without. (ok, she said it more technically, but I don't remember most of it)

I'll miss the instant On Demand movies, but that's about it.

[Ben E Lou]

Comcast Business Class is being installed as I type. Before and after post...

BEFORE

[Ben E Lou]

Heh. This is pretty fast.

[Coffee Warlord]

That's a lot of porn you can now instantly download, Ben.

Can't complain about my office pipeline, either.

[sovereignstar v2]

[Bobble]

D+. I guess you passed Brighthouse ... barely. Fat, slow, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Heh. This is pretty fast.

Somehow it has gotten faster.

[General Mike]

Originally Posted by General Mike

I supposedly got an internet upgrade from switching my TV over to Comcast so here's what I have now.



IIRC, my result from June 2011 was a wired connection versus a Wireless connection today.

[Grammaticus]

[Marc Vaughan]

I really need to upgrade my line ...

[Chubby]

at home

[Danny]

Hmm and I just got the upgraded fastest speed of At&t uverse. So much for that.

[Peregrine]

Danny, sounds like you should contact AT&T and have them verify you got the right service, and that there's no service issue. I have the second fastest Uverse speed and it's much faster than that.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

Danny, sounds like you should contact AT&T and have them verify you got the right service, and that there's no service issue. I have the second fastest Uverse speed and it's much faster than that.

Yeah, that's a good suggestion. I just got the internet Friday after a move, so who knows. I do wonder though, does living in compacted areas impact your speeds? I live in a fairly compated part of the valley and wonder if lower speeds are common for a city like Los Angeles?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Danny

Yeah, that's a good suggestion. I just got the internet Friday after a move, so who knows. I do wonder though, does living in compacted areas impact your speeds? I live in a fairly compated part of the valley and wonder if lower speeds are common for a city like Los Angeles?

It's possible, but regardless, it's worth checking. When I first got the 6.0/.4 service that I had (the fastest offered in my area at the time...ouch), speed tests revealed that I was consistently capped right around 3.0 down. I called; they tested. It turned out that there was a problem affecting not just me, but the entire 10ish-subdivision development where I live, capping it at 3.0 rather than the advertised 6.0. They thanked me profusely and gave me several months of free service for helping them identify a widespread issue.

[chadritt]

Originally Posted by Danny

Yeah, that's a good suggestion. I just got the internet Friday after a move, so who knows. I do wonder though, does living in compacted areas impact your speeds? I live in a fairly compated part of the valley and wonder if lower speeds are common for a city like Los Angeles?

This is what Im getting in Burbank right now with Charter.

[Ben E Lou]

My wife has a MiFi device through her job now with unlimited data usage. It's smaller than most compacted clip-phones, and gets the job done quite nicely. It has at least 8 hours of battery life, and can charge via USB or power adapter. It's great for travel, and is probably faster than some folks' home connections.

[cartman]

When I was in Costa Rica back in July, I was amazed at the connectivity down there. Almost everyone has an internet connection, and it is almost all done by 3G. Instead of a cable modem or DSL, they get a small router that has a USB dongle with a 3G antenna. If you want faster, and have line of sight to a tower, then a microwave antenna is used. The average speeds I got down there were in the 6-8Mb/s down 1-2Mb/s up range. I think that wireless connections are going to be where the most growth and innovation occurs over the next few years.

[gstelmack]

And that's unfortunate for gaming. Check the ping time difference between the two posts above, most gaming still really wants a wired connection. Even wifi for the local network hurts gaming performance.

[Passacaglia]

My new (to me) phone is getting 2.25 mbps download, 1.5 mpbs upload. Although the speedtest app doesn't give me a grade or the percentage info. Lame.

[Alan T]

Upgraded the home internet...

[jeff061]

Holy crap, what you need that pipe for. I'm thrilled with my 50/35 on FIOS, you paying extra?