Filed under: iPhone
AT&T exec confirms iPhone tethering on the way
How's this for a telephone game: Technologizer's Harry McCracken reports that AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega told Michael Arrington that the iPhone will be allowed to work as a tethered wireless modem for notebooks. It will be available "soon." Allegedly.
Our own Mike Schramm noted possible correspondence from Steve Jobs himself in late August suggesting that talks were already underway with AT&T.
We all know it's technically doable. Both NetShare and iModem take care of tethering quite nicely. The sticky wicket is getting AT&T's permission: the strain could be too much for the telco's 3G network to bear.
At this point, we don't know if AT&T's plans to allow tethering include any rate increases or bandwidth caps. Got any theories? Let us know by leaving a comment.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
outofdatemusic said 5:25PM on 11-06-2008
It wouldn't surprise me if they included it. It seems to me like it should have been available since the get go.
But it would be a total drag on bandwidth, people view more complex webpages and downloading files etc. It would be insane.
But i guess not too many people would actually use it, they'd get sick of the slow speeds. However, i've been waiting for a way to do this without hacking my phone so, cool.
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Jeremy said 5:45PM on 11-06-2008
Would you have to be on the 3G network to be tether-capable? If not, would this slow the 2.5G "original" iPhone owner's data usage?
I don't own a notebook, yet. So, tethering isn't too important for me, unless it causes a huge draw on AT&T's network. But, it'd be a nice option for aome people.
Mark said 5:53PM on 11-06-2008
I just want to point out that there is a third option for jailbroken tethering, called PDAnet. I've used it myself, and even on Edge it's not bad for web browsing. It's better than dial-up. Using it with 3G approaches DSL speed.
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Jinto said 6:03PM on 11-06-2008
Yes, PDANet is the best. Next to no setup compared to the SSH ways.
SlaunchaMan said 6:33PM on 11-06-2008
I suspect they'll release it on the App Store as an AT&T- or Apple-produced app. They might put a cap on the use, but the wait is probably for them to finish the app.
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balls said 6:53PM on 11-06-2008
Just like Adobe confirmed Flash is on the way for the iphone.
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Adam said 7:02PM on 11-06-2008
I bet the tethering is going to be a steep addition to the monthly fee you already pay for internet. A laptop uses significantly more bandwidth than just the phone. My guess is it could effectively double they internet fee to $60. Which would make it more in range with the standalone Laptop connect rates.
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sam said 7:20PM on 11-06-2008
They will most assuredly charge more, at the very least twice as much as the current unlimited plan, for the right to tether. As an AT&T representative once said "We have to charge more, because it takes more data to fill up a bigger screen."
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sam said 7:22PM on 11-06-2008
This is one of the reasons I have not hopped on the iPhone bandwagon yet. The closed nature of the operating system shuts out developers from truely taking advantage of the hardware contained therein.
I'm no Windows Mobile fanboy, but I can turn my AT&T Tilt into a WiFi hotspot with the press of a button and allow any number of people to connect to and use my 3G connection. All this and AT&T is none the wiser - they've never questioned my unlimited $15/mo data plan.
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Jon Hege said 8:02PM on 11-06-2008
I use PDAnet and it's awesome. I'm in Atlanta, GA (Brookhaven area) and I get 200KB/sec (1,400 Mbps).
I was watching high-def YouTube videos outside in the park the other day. F'in sweet. After my 1.5 hour session I had downloaded 300MB of data, and toasted my iPhone battery. But it was so worth it.
I just hope AT&T doesn't blacklist me. I better take it easy on the data usage!
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Tim said 8:28PM on 11-06-2008
So much for the developer of NetShare.
I can see Apple and AT&T etting in to plenty of anti-competitive lawsuits soon.
I just discontinued my iPhone service with AT&T,; I can't wait for the Garmin phone to come out...
The iPhone sucks.
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PSM said 8:59PM on 11-06-2008
PDAnet is pretty much perfect. It's much less hassle than any other method currently available. If the legit way was stupidly easy I might consider it if it wasn't ridiculously expensive, but you can't get that much more easy than PDAnet.
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Priphoto said 10:11PM on 11-06-2008
Im work for AT&T. We have been trained on it. It is coming. Soon!
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Shane said 10:27PM on 11-06-2008
AT&T giving away tethering at no additional charge? Yeah, and the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny are real too. They will suck every penny they can out of anyone willing to pay. I got caught up in the hype and got the iPhone 3G but after 3 months it is just another phone. I guess when I realized that I am paying twice as much for service with fewer minutes than I had with T-Mobile the fog lifted. I will be cutting ties with AT&T next month and going back to T-Mobile where the prices are fair and the customer service reps treat you with a little value and respect.
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David Robison said 2:21AM on 11-07-2008
Weird, my AT&T bill is less than my old T-Mo bill. Perhaps it's b/c I'm on a family plan with one iPhone. When my husband gets his at Xmas, I think the bill will end up being the same as the old T-Mo one.
As for the phone itself, I've had mine for about 5 months and still thinks it's waaaay better than the Dash I had and way better than any other phone I've worked with (I've done a fair amount of mobile app design).
It's not perfect but it's much better than the rest.
Mike said 11:16PM on 11-06-2008
For God's sake please use Bluetooth instead of a cable!!!
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Lars said 4:11AM on 11-07-2008
Amen to that! Wires are *so* last century. The lack of Bluetooth syncing of contacts and calendar items is basically what puts me off buying an iPhone.
I regularly leave my phone in a bag or jacket and with my SonyEricsson W910i that's no problem. It very satisfying (not to say 21st century) to run iSync and hear that 'bip' from the bag and know it's synced.
I can renew my contract next month but the way things look now, it will be another SE (or I'll save some cash and go SIM Only and keep de W910i).
DrWho said 9:09AM on 11-07-2008
If wires are so last century so is syncing!
robb said 4:16PM on 11-07-2008
Bluetooth??
Use the wifi. That's what it's for. Tethering over Bluetooth is a hack for devices that don't have wifi.
David Robison said 10:25PM on 11-07-2008
If you're willing to plunk down the not insignificant dough for MobileMe, then your calendar and contacts will sync automagically from wherever you are over the air. I like some of the other MobileMe features (being able to easily sync multiple machines) so the whole package is worth it to me.