AT&T and the Atlanta Braves to Offer Free Wi-Fi at Turner Field

I had the pleasure today of attending the joint AT&T/Atlanta Braves press conference at Turner Field.

One thing I learned was that customers have been asking for improved mobile broadband coverage at Turner Field as they are at many large event venues.

Well, they are getting that and also free Wi-Fi in the coming months as AT&T is partnering up with the Braves on this task.

Derek Schiller, Atlanta Braves Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing says this will improve the all-around fan experience at Turner Field and I agree with him.

Expect to see more iPads and smartphones running the MLB At Bat app this year.  Fans can follow the game live and enhance their enjoyment with their mobile device.

AT&T is really ramping up their service, especially in the State of Georgia, and in my opinion it was pretty good already.  A good job by both organizations.

And how often do you get the chance to stand by home plate and in the dugout at a Major League Ballpark.  And yes, the grass at Turner Field is the nicest I've ever seen.

AT&T Buys T-Mobile

AT&T Inc. said Sunday it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion that would make it the largest cellphone company in the U.S.

The deal would reduce the number of wireless carriers with national coverage from four to three, and is sure to face close regulatory scrutiny. It also removes a potential partner for Sprint Nextel Corp., the struggling No. 3 carrier, which had been in talks to combine with T-Mobile USA.

AT&T is now the country's second-largest wireless carrier and T-Mobile USA is the fourth largest. The acquisition would give AT&T 129 million subscribers, vaulting it past Verizon Wireless' 102 million. The combined company would serve about 43 percent of U.S. cellphones.

For T-Mobile USA's 33.7 million subscribers, the news doesn't immediately change anything. Because of the long regulatory process, AT&T expects the acquisition to take a year to close. But when and if it closes, T-Mobile USA customers would get access to AT&T's phone line-up, including the iPhone.

With this transaction, AT&T commits to a significant expansion of robust 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) deployment to 95 percent of the U.S. population to reach an additional 46.5 million Americans beyond current plans – including rural communities and small towns. This helps achieve the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and President Obama’s goals to connect “every part of America to the digital age.” T-Mobile USA does not have a clear path to delivering LTE.

“This transaction represents a major commitment to strengthen and expand critical infrastructure for our nation’s future,” said Randall Stephenson, AT&T Chairman and CEO. “It will improve network quality, and it will bring advanced LTE capabilities to more than 294 million people. Mobile broadband networks drive economic opportunity everywhere, and they enable the expanding high-tech ecosystem that includes device makers, cloud and content providers, app developers, customers, and more. During the past few years, America’s high-tech industry has delivered innovation at unprecedented speed, and this combination will accelerate its continued growth.”

In a press release, Deutsche Telekom Chairman and CEO René Obermann chimed in.

As we evaluated options for the T-Mobile USA business, two questions were foremost in our minds: what’s best for Deutsche Telekom and what’s best for T-Mobile USA? The transaction with AT&T is the answer to both questions.

The sale of T-Mobile USA to AT&T is the ideal strategic path for Deutsche Telekom as it provides us with the flexibility to invest in our networks across Europe while simultaneously retaining our exposure to the dynamic U.S. wireless industry through an approximately 8% equity stake in AT&T. We believe the transaction values T-Mobile USA appropriately and is in the best interests of our shareholders.
 
This sale is not only in the best interests of Deutsche Telekom, but is the best and most logical way forward for T-Mobile USA customers. Most importantly, both AT&T and T-Mobile use the same network technology, which will make the integration seamless and produce significant benefits for customers. By itself, T-Mobile USA does not have a clear path to delivering LTE. With the combined spectrum, cell sites and scale, T-Mobile customers will see a tangible improvement in service and fully benefit from the rapid evolution of LTE and the broader mobile ecosystem of innovation.



AT&T Offers Relief For Those Calling Japan

AT&T today announced it has implemented international calling and texting support efforts for U.S. residential wireless and wireline consumers trying to connect with loved ones in Japan, following last week's tragic earthquake and tsunami.

Effective beginning last week, March 11, and continuing through March 31, AT&T wireless postpaid customers will not be charged for:
*    International long distance usage from the United States and Puerto Rico to Japan
*    Text messages to Japan, originated from a U.S. wireless number

In addition, and also effective March 11 through March 31, residential wireline customers can seek credits for up to 60 minutes of direct dial calling to Japan:
*    Upon receiving their wireline bill, customers may call AT&T to receive adjusted calling for up to 60 minutes. In other words, no charges for up to 60 minutes of call time from the United States to Japan between March 11 and March 31.

For any of the above activity, customers will either see no charges reflected on their monthly statement, or they will see a full credit applied to their statement for activity between March 11 and March 31.

"We want to help our customers connect with loved ones in Japan in anyway we can," said Mark Collins, senior vice president, Voice and Data Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "Connecting with family and friends is most important at times like this- we want to make it as easy and worry free as possible for our customers."

Still available, AT&T wireless customers can text "redcross" to 90999 to give a $10 donation to help the Red Cross with disaster support efforts in the area.  No text message fees apply.
And, TV Japan - the 24 hour Japanese news channel - is available for free through March 17 to all U-verse(r) TV subscribers, allowing viewers to follow the news and recovery efforts. TV Japan can be found on channel 3680.



iPad 2 Will Sell Briskly

The race is on.

Apple's iPad 2 will sell 1 million units faster than the 28 days it took the first-generation iPad to sell because the new tablet is available from more stores, according to one tech analyst.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said in a March 8 research note that initial demand for iPad 2 will be strong but said the increased distribution points will mean shorter lines at Apple retail stores than there were for the inaugural iPad that sold 15 million units last year.



Apple launched the original iPad at 221 U.S. Apple retail stores and most of the 1,100 U.S. Best Buy stores on April 3, 2010. 

Apple March 11 will sell the iPad 2 at 236 U.S. retail stores and in more than 10,000 other stores, including AT&T and Verizon Wireless stores, as well as retailers Target, Best Buy and Walmart in the United States. Assuming the weather is good and Apple fans come out to shop, the iPad 2 should enjoy a solid opening weekend this Friday.

The iPad 2, which is thinner, a little lighter, and faster than its predecessor and includes dual cameras for video chat via Apple's FaceTime application, is expected to hamper Xoom sales because it is priced the exact same way the first iPads were priced. The base WiFi version costs $499, and the 16GB WiFi+3G version is priced at $629.

By comparison, the Xoom costs $799, off contract ($599 for a two-year Verizon data deal), or $70 more than Apple's comparable, 32GB WiFi+3G iPad and iPad 2.

AT&T to Sell iPhone 3GS for $49 Beginning Friday

Trying to dump the remaining stock, and in preparation for the iPhone 5 release this sprng, AT&T is going to sell the iPhone 3GS for $49 starting Friday, as a price war heats up in the increasingly crowded smartphone sector.

The phone is currently available on AT&T's website for $99, while the iPhone 4, released in June, sells for $299.

The latest offer is available to both new and certain existing customers and requires a two-year wireless-service contract of at least $39.99 a month, plus $15 data plan. AT&T and Apple want any stragglers to at least upgrade tothe 3GS in the near future.

AT&T added a record number of iPhone subscribers in the third quarter but paid a heavy price to do so. While the activations require AT&T to pay Apple high subsidies that cut into its near-term profit, they also lock in new and existing customers to a two-year contract.

AT&T isn't the first company to discount the iPhone, with retailers such as Wal-Mart Inc. and Radio Shack Corp. offering inticing promotions.