RalphDeLaVega Archive

  • Ralph de la Vega ‘laughs’ when asked about AT&T iPhone exclusivity expiration date, says most customers will stay

    Ralph de la Vega ‘laughs’ when asked about AT&T iPhone exclusivity expiration date, says most customers will stay

    Posted on May 19, 2010 | No Comments
    digg_url = 'http://digg.com/tech_news/CEO_just_laughs_when_asked_about_AT_T_iPhone_expiration'; We still have no idea what's going on with Apple, Verizon, and the iPhone, but it sounds like AT&T isn't sweating it -- speaking at a J.P. Morgan conference today, Ralph De La Vega reportedly "just laughed" when asked when Ma Bell's iPhone exclusivity would run out, and indicated he wasn't worried about other carriers potentially getting the phone. According to Ralph, some 80 percent of AT&T iPhone customers are on family or business plans, and they're generally less likely to switch, so AT&T thinks it can hang onto them if Apple's phone hits another carrier. That certainly sounds like AT&T's been giving the issue some thought -- another piece of kindling for our ever-smoldering Verizon iPhone Rumor Fire, or just tough talk to keep Apple in line? We might never know -- but we do know that it'll be much harder to keep those iPhone customers if AT&T's service quality continues to suffer, and Ralph acknowledged the troubles, saying that AT&T's biggest issue right now is simply getting enough equipment built in China and put into place. We'll see what happens -- we're not going to believe that a Verizon iPhone is real until Steve asks if we can hear him now.

    Update: AT&T just sent us a tiny snippet of de la Vega's comments:
    Having said that, all the improvements that we have seen are not just driven by the iPhone. The non-iPhone customer churn has seen the same reductions as the overall total postpaid customer churn improvement levels. So we've seen improvements in churn that are driven by the iPhone and by non-iPhone customers. And so we view that having a great portfolio of devices and services has been the key to our success and will continue to be. And I think the iPhone will be a part of our portfolio. And I think that customers are still going to come to us, like they've done in the past, looking for great choices, great devices and great services.
    Interesting -- it certainly doesn't sound like he's betting too heavily on keeping the iPhone exclusive, but we'd like some more context here. We're looking for the full transcript (or better yet, video), so stay tuned.

    Update 2: And here's the followup question specifically regarding exclusivity:
    Q: I thought you might share with us the exclusivity end date, Ralph.
    A: No, I don't think I'm going to be able to do that, Mike. (laughs)
    Pithy!

    Ralph de la Vega 'laughs' when asked about AT&T iPhone exclusivity expiration date, says most customers will stay originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 May 2010 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • iPhone reception issues plague O2… too (updated with AT&T’s response)

    iPhone reception issues plague O2… too (updated with AT&T’s response)

    Posted on December 29, 2009 | No Comments
    digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/iPhone_reception_issues_plague_O2_too'; It would appear that AT&T isn't the only carrier in the world suffering from a horrible and nagging case of the iPhones. In an interview with the Financial Times, O2 head Ronan Dunne apologized to customers for the poor performance the network has been experiencing since the introduction of the iPhone 3GS to its airwaves this summer. Just as US customers (particularly those in dense, urban areas) have learned to struggle through dropped calls, the inability to make or receive calls, or weak data connections, our brethren on the other side of the pond have felt a similar sting. Says Dunne, "Where we haven't met our own high standards then there's no question, we apologise to customers for that fact," adding that the carrier had fixes at the ready and that the issues would be "more than addressed" shortly. Unlike the widespread problems here, the O2 mess seems to be relegated largely to London, though it's curious to know that AT&T isn't alone in being hamstrung by a network clearly not prepared for the onslaught of data being pushed up and down its virtual pipes. Also unlike the AT&T situation is the fact that O2 has solutions in mind (including the installation of 200 additional mobile base stations in London), and they're clearly taking ownership of the situation. Ahem, Ralph.

    Update: AT&T responded and let us know they had fixes underway too. Here's an outline of forthcoming changes the carrier says it's making.
    • We are nearly doubling the wireless spectrum serving 3G customers in hundreds of markets across the country, using high-quality 850 MHz spectrum. This additional spectrum expands overall network capacity and improves in-building reception.
    • We are adding about 2,000 new cell sites, expanding service to new cities and improving coverage in other areas.
    • We're adding about 100,000 new backhaul connections, which add critical capacity between cell sites and the global IP backbone network.
    • We're enabling widespread access to our Wi-Fi network - the largest in the country with more than 20,000 hotspots in all 50 states - allowing them to take advantage of the best available AT&T mobile broadband connection.
    • We're rolling out even faster 3G speeds with deployment of HSPA 7.2 technology, with initial availability in six markets planned by the end of the year.

    iPhone reception issues plague O2... too (updated with AT&T's response) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • AT&T to offer ‘incentives’ to customers willing to limit data usage

    AT&T to offer ‘incentives’ to customers willing to limit data usage

    Posted on December 17, 2009 | No Comments
    AT&T exec #1: You know, our network's really getting slammed with all these people using their unlimited data plans to download things and do stuff online all the time. Any ideas how we can fix it?

    AT&T exec #2:     We could put out more WiFi hotspots. People seem to use those. Sometimes.

    AT&T exec #1: Sure, but that's not going to make a dent in places like New York City. I mean, have you used an iPhone there?

    AT&T exec #2: We have these things called MicroCells that people can use at home, if they live in North Carolina. Maybe more people could use those?

    AT&T exec #1: Yeah, that's good. But people like to use their cellphones outside their house too. What happens then?

    AT&T exec #2: Well, what if we offered customers incentives to use less data?

    AT&T exec #1: Now you're talking! What sort of incentives could get them to do that?

    AT&T exec #2: Hmm....

    Well, readers, are there any incentives that would get you to use less data? Feel free to offer your suggestions for AT&T in the comments below. And don't worry about actually paying more for data (yet, anyway), as AT&T 's Ralph de la Vega is now saying that "we have not made any decision to implement tiered pricing," which is a slight backtrack from previous hints to the contrary.

    AT&T to offer 'incentives' to customers willing to limit data usage originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Ralph de la Vega promises fix for San Francisco and Manhattan coverage, plans to ‘address’ heaviest data users

    Ralph de la Vega promises fix for San Francisco and Manhattan coverage, plans to ‘address’ heaviest data users

    Posted on December 9, 2009 | No Comments
    Love that Pandora app? Well, we've got good news and bad news for you. The good news is that AT&T's wireless head honcho Ralph de la Vega says it's hard at work at improving service in San Francisco and Manhattan, where it sees especially high smartphone penetration -- and coincidentally a higher concentration of whiny tech journalists. The bad news, though, is that it might end up hitting you in the pocketbook. Speaking to investors today, de la Vega mentioned that the company is well aware that downtown New Yorkers are suffering, specifically calling out the area for "performing at levels below [its] standards" expressing confidence that it's going to get the problem resolved. In the same breath, though, he assured attendees that independent testing conducted by Global Wireless Solutions shows that a test of over 415 markets (which probably means 416 markets) has AT&T coming out on top for network speed -- something that we found in our testing as well -- and is "within two-tenths of 1 percent of the highest score among major providers" for dropped calls at 1.32 percent averaged nationally. Anyway, about that bad news -- the company has noticed that a huge chunk (some 40 percent) of its broadband is consumed by just 3 percent of smartphone users, and it's suggesting that it'll "address" that through a combination of usage meters (no complaints there) and likely a tiered pricing model that sticks it to the heaviest users "in a way that's consistent with net-neutrality and FCC regulations." At a glance, that sounds "fair" -- we'd rather they not increase data fees across the board to average out a very small number of users -- but the long-lost term "unlimited" still gives us a warm fuzzy that we're hoping to win back sooner or later. When LTE shows up, perhaps?

    Ralph de la Vega promises fix for San Francisco and Manhattan coverage, plans to 'address' heaviest data users originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • AT&T Mobility CEO suggests iPhone exclusivity will end… sometime

    AT&T Mobility CEO suggests iPhone exclusivity will end… sometime

    Posted on October 23, 2009 | No Comments

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    Well, it's not much, but AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega doesn't exactly have to go too far out on a limb to attract attention when he's talking about something as big as an end to iPhone exclusivity. His latest, and seemingly most extensive ruminations on the matter came during a conference call with analysts this week, where he reportedly said that AT&T has a "legacy of having a great portfolio...that will continue after the iPhone is no longer exclusive to us," and that he thinks AT&T's ability to drive results "will continue after the iPhone." He did seem to dial things back a bit later in the call, however, switching to langauge like "even if we lose exclusivity" instead of "after the iPhone," and going on to extol the virtues of the iPhone, noting that "others will try to emulate them [Apple], but that device by far is the best in terms of ease of use."

    AT&T Mobility CEO suggests iPhone exclusivity will end... sometime originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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