Finally?, for Some, the 3G IPhone

Originally Published Wednesday, 11/19
Updated Friday, 11/21

Five months after purchasing their fancy new 3G IPhones, Mainers in parts of York county bordering I95 to the ocean, Cumberland County, Brunswick, Topsham, Bath, and a sliver of Auburn received 3G Network coverage yesterday, November 18.

Update: The NEW date for the switch on is Monday, 11/24, and until then 3G IPhone owners in these areas have had their data usage restricted to the the slower AT&T EDGE Network speeds and have been unable to make use of a 3G Network for many features including talking on the phone and surfing the web at the same time, accessing certain video features, etc.

This, in spite of the fact that they have been paying the same data fee as IPhone users living in areas with the speed tripling 3 G network.

When the Portland Press Herald reported on the roll out of the 3G IPhone on July 11, no mention was made in the article of the fact that there was THEN no 3G network for the new IPhone in Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont.

In fact, staff writer Rat Routhier ironically wrote of the supposed dilemma facing Emma Pope-Welch, Director of communications and marketing for the United Way of Eastern Maine in Bangor

“Pope-Welch, who bought the first version of the iPhone, also balked at the claim of faster Internet service. A map on the AT&T Web site shows that there are parts of Maine, including areas east of Bangor, that are not covered by the faster 3G cellular network.

“So in some areas it wouldn’t be faster for me,” Pope-Welch said.”

As I wrote in an unpublished letter to the PPH editor, Pope-Welch and perhaps Routhier were apparently looking at the EDGE coverage which reveals there is no EDGE coverage east of Bangor and they failed to notice that the July AT&T 3G data map showed the very severe limitations of the 3G network when the new IPhone was rolled out.

Pope-Welch in Bangor was wise to keep her first generation phone as there is no official AT&T corporate indication on the internet as to when the 3G network will be expanded to Augusta, let alone Bangor.

Sources of mine indicate it could be 1/1/2010.

So 3G on Monday in the Southern Maine areas outlined above? We will see.

***

Now, for those of you who have asked Santa for a 3G IPhone, The Boy Genius Report confirmed just hours ago that selected Walmarts and Sam’s will start selling the IPhone on December 28.

Perhaps just in time for the after Christmas sales?

$150 anyone?

$125 anyone?

Peter B Hayward

Copyright © 2008 Peter B. Hayward All Rights Reserved