AT&T Continues To Temper Expectations For iPhone Tethering in 2009
9 to 5 Mac reports that it has received a note from an AT&T spokesperson asking the site to remove a reference suggesting that the company would support Internet tethering via the iPhone by the end of 2009.
We believed it was coming later this year, until we got a note from an AT&T spokeman. He told us to correct a post that said AT&T will be delivering tethering in 2009. Specifically, he said (his font color, not ours):
“Just reading again – where did anyone promise tethering by EOY? Where did you see that? We promised MMS by end of summer and ended up being a few days late for that…”
The confusion seems to stem from a November 2008 interview with AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega in which he claimed support for tethering on the iPhone was coming “soon”. In re-reporting the conversation, CNET appears to have construed the comment as meaning some time in 2009, but AT&T is apparently now trying to temper any such expectations.
AT&T’s comment comes just a week after the company reiterated its position that further network “fine tuning” is required before it can support tethering via the iPhone.
Via macrumors.com
Tags: CEO Ralph, coming later this year, company, further network, iphone, Mac, Note, ralph de la vega, Vega
October 15th, 2009 at 9:50 am
What is to fine tune… They have 3g tethering on all the other phones what is the difference.. Except they pocket all of the extra money from iphone sales instead of rapidly expanding their 3g network like verizon… It is finally coming back to bite them in the ass.. “There is a map for that”