August 31st, 2008
Tethering Deal Between Apple and AT&T Rumored
By Michael Santo
Editor-in-Chief, RealTechNews
You’ll remember NetShare, the iPhone tethering app that showed up on the App Store a couple of times before vanishing, seemingly forever. The advantage of a tethering app for users is that they could use their iPhone as a modem for their laptop or PC, in a pinch.
The disadvantage for the carrier is all the additional bandwidth required, quite naturally.
A seemingly Steve Jobs-ish email (meaning terse and noncommittal) in response to a user’s question seems to point to a possible tethering agreement between AT&T and Apple.
Currently, the Terms and Conditions for AT&T’s plans seems to include language that specifically forbids tethering (under the Prohibited and Permissible Uses section):
“Furthermore, plans (unless specifically designated for tethering usage) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/PDA-to-computer accessories, Bluetooth or any other wireless technology) to Personal Computers (including without limitation, laptops), or other equipment for any purpose.”
There is that little clause about “unless specifically designated for tethering usage,” though. Is Apple trying to get such a plan set up for its iPhone?
According to Gizmodo, here’s the exchange between the two:
User: AT&T offers data plans for BlackBerry that include tethering for an additional $30 per month (a total of $60 per month for the BlackBerry+tethering plan).It seems ludicrous that the same thing is not offered with the iPhone. I understand the desire to prevent tethering with the current data plan, but I am willing to pay more money to allow tethering! With such an advanced device, why can I not do so?
“Steve”:
We agree, and are discussing it with ATT.
Steve
Sent from my iPhone
As we know, occasionally an email to Jobs is responded to in the above fashion: terse, and probably from a rep and not Jobs directly. However: “sent from my iPhone” tends to make it a little less credible to me, as that implies it was actually sent from his personal device. Not really likely.
I’d rather see the 3G issues fixed once and for all before a tethering plan is complete. Who wants to tether in EDGE?
Still, why not have such a plan? What about you readers? Would you pay extra for a tethering plan for your iPhone?
James Katt says:
For those that complain about not being able to tether on the iPhone using the current data plan, realize that tethering a computer ends up using much more bandwidth than the iPhone itself.
Thus, it makes sense that AT&T should charge you $30 extra a month for the extra data. After all, AT&T does this with the Blackberry.
I would like to see such a solution from AT&T. Of course, it would be a bit much for those who only do this once in a while.
Also, AT&T’s network isn’t as mature as Verizon’s network. As such, it’s network download speeds suck compared to Verizon’s.
August 31st, 2008 at 7:29 pm
rio says:
hai just look around..
August 31st, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Erik says:
Of course they’ll allow it for a mere $30 add-on charge. What a rip off. I’d use tethering on occasion but nowhere near enough to add 50% to my monthly bill.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:45 am