So, yesterday AT&T released the Blogger Guy video basically apologizing for the fact that its network isn’t up to snuff and the delayed rollout of MMS. Seeking forgiveness from consumers everywhere who can’t use their phones for the fast and reliable service they advertise, AT&T’s effort here comes on the heels of some of the upgrades to its networks in San Francisco and New York.
Set aside the fact that the Blogger Guy looks like a deer caught in headlights during the apology, the attempt is getting some kudos, eliciting some understanding, and getting its fair share of derision. Somehow I doubt that this guy has ever blogged in his life. AT&T’s claim is that it is really hard and time consuming to upgrade their networks and that no one in their right mind should have expected that all those customers they were signing up for the iPhone would actually use the device they way it was advertised, marketed and sold.
On the same day, big news comes down that the location service Loopt has signed a deal with AT&T to have the AT&T network essentially monitor traffic from Loopt users so that even when the App is not running it will keep up with where your friends are so you have the appearance of real time location tracking. This will be opt in and to do so you have to pay AT&T a monthly fee to use the service. Now, I may be completely wrong here, but this hits me as slightly odd. If the network can’t handle all of the traffic that currently exists, requiring lengthy and troublesome upgrades, why would you add a service that is constantly pinging the network? Granted Loopt may not have voluminous traffic, (I think the rollout test is limited to 5000 users), but these kind of location services are really designed for users who live in high density urban and suburban areas, which are some of the areas where users report lousy service to begin with.
The key here is of course the new service AT&T can bill for. Nothing wrong with that. If folks want the service AT&T and Loopt have a right to sell it. But do they have that same right when the network that it is being offered over can’t handle the already existing traffic? I’m not so sure. AT&T’s problem is one of capacity. If they can’t provide it, I don’t think they should be adding services that drain an already overextended and ineffective network. Again, I may be wrong here, but the timing just seems really odd, given Blogger Guy’s apology.
If AT&T really wanted to try and atone for its incompetence and inadequacy since the release of the iPhone, they could certainly do better than the Blogger Guy approach. If they wanted to erase some of the stigma that has forever tarred AT&T’s image, why not offer all of their customers some sort of rebate? I know that sounds crazy, but Blogger Guy apologies don’t cut it, especially when they are as ineffective as this one is.
If I’m wrong on how the Loopt service will affect the network, I’m sure someone will correct me and that’s cool. But the perception issue here regarding timing is certainly one that someone at AT&T should have picked up on.
