AT&T wireless head Ralph de la Vega issued a statement declaring that the shift was a response to customer demand:
IPhone is an innovative device that dramatically changed the game in wireless when it was introduced just two years ago. Today's decision was made after evaluating our customers' expectations and use of the device compared to dozens of others we offer.
Of course, a little prodding from the FCC probably didn't hurt. The decision to allow VOIP apps won't directly affect Google Voice, though the FCC is also looking into Apple's long-running "evaluation" of the service.
AT&T Reverses Policy on iPhone Internet Calls [NYTimes.com]
]]>I make my daytime outgoing calls on Skype and preserve my minutes for incoming calls. It also gives me the capability to make very reasonably priced international calls from my iPhone.
]]>Voice calls aren't carried over the 3G data network; the voice network may be maxed, but the data network has bandwidth to spare, especially with the new 850mhz overlay.
]]>@NeverLetMeDown: But remember, Apple did not block GV, they are still [wink, wink] reviewing it ;-)
]]>Several years ago, I installed Skype on a wondows mobile handset running on their 2G network and it worked fairly well (just slightly below the quality of a standard phone call). Since then, Skype has improved dramatically, and if you are in a solid 3G coverage area, you should at least be able to make decent voice calls.
That said, I will still probably use it over WiFi when I travel internationally to make calls back home because I am too cheap to pay for international roaming data or international calling plans.
]]>@tackhouse1: Is that a pig flying outside of my 3rd floor window?
]]>I recently heard that financial forecasting exists to make astrology look good. Similarly, AT&T's data network exists to make their voice network look good. Just because users are allowed to use skype doesn't mean they'll be able to.
]]>This sounds to me like it's a giant thumb in the eye of Google. Google Voice still hangs in limbo, but upstart VOIP providers and Skype gets a bit of an advantage.
]]>The GV block is Apple's call, not AT&T.
]]>@dvddesign: Wait...it's not? That was literally my plan. I mean, Softbank has even worse coverage than ATT (I'm NOT joking), but that was totally what I had been planning to do to call family. You just ruined my day. Not really, but still kinda bummed.
]]>I hope this works out better than the AT&T U-verse business did. I have pretty much decided to keep away from AT&T branded stuff due to my 49 days worth of nonsense with their cable TV system. I wish I had checked them out on consumer sites before I changed from Comcast to U-verse, I probably would not have changed if I had seen some of the complaints posted. I am so POed with them that I started my own blog to get them some negative publicity. See:
[u-versesucks.blogspot.com]
@tackhouse1:
Hell freezes over AND Satan gives free sleigh rides. Or, you know, the FCC makes them.
They are; it's LTE. Cellular voice is 2G. AT&T says their 3G network is ready for VOIP. LTE is all packets, all the time.
]]>I'm running version 1.2.2, and iTunes says no updates available.
]]>A little nudge from the FCC never hurt anyone...especially when it was kind of pretty blatant why the app was being blocked.
]]>