There are plenty of news stories regarding AT&T’s new FemToCell product that is being rolled out in Charlotte, North Carolina. But I have a few questions.
First off, if AT&T’s network service is so bad, why is it that I have to pay an additional ‘fee’ just to improve their crappy network when they should be paying me to host this damn thing? What if I lived in New York or San Francisco and was still getting horrible service, despite AT&T rolling out the 850 MHz spectrum, why would I want to pay additionally to improve that service?
The other fact that bothers me is that the FemToCell uses YOUR existing broadband connection to make calls. Wait, you mean that you have to pay for this product, pay for your broadband connection just for a company to somehow manage to have you foot the bill for the service. This is absolutely ridiculous. The FemToCell converter covers a 5000 square foot range. Unless you own a huge house, that will cover you and your neighbors, and yet you’re footing the bill.
The final thing that just irritates me more than anything… What if you have a cap on your service, the usage of your own broadband to facilitate your cell phone is going to eat at your cap. Now, if you have AT&T’s UVerse or AT&T DSL this may not be the case, that hasn’t been mentioned at all. But in other cases, like Comcast users who only have a 250GB cap. Yes I realize many never hit that limit, but I’m sure that there are more than a few who have and do on a regular basis.
I realize that this is geared towards iPhone users, who are traditionally heavier users of 3G data than other AT&T phone users, but the other users still benefit off of your dime. What I would like to see from AT&T is the ability for those iPhone users who purchase a FemToCell device to be allowed to tether their iPhone for free. This alone would justify the $150 charge for the FemToCell device. Then if an iPhone users is on the road and needs to get on internet with their laptop, they would be allowed to do so. Short of this, I’m calling this an idiotic way for AT&T to be able to gouge their customers even more without providing any of the backbone.
Maybe it’s just me but I believe as though this is a bunch of crap from a company who has repeatedly provided horrible access and has not lived up to their end of the bargain for those users who have invested in iPhones and are stuck on AT&T for the duration of their contract. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a great idea for those who really cannot get cell phone coverage, and it would be great if you’re in an area where Cell phone coverage is not available, yet you have broadband. But overall it just seems like AT&T is raping customers more than before. Particularly, since many are paying in excess of $100 a month for bad service.
