Gizmodo: network problems

AT&T 3G Network Down In Some Areas, Reports Say

Elaine Chow — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:31:30 EST

We here at Gizmodo have been getting interesting missives from several readers about how AT&T's 3G network has just plumb broke in several areas, like Boston and Hawaii. Any calls made to an iPhone 3G goes straight to voicemail, but with no notification to the iPhone owner. Switching back to the Edge/2G network will get the phone to start acting normally again.

I connected with Apple Tier 2 support and we conference called into AT&T. They claimed that it was my device (never had a problem until this point) and that before they would put in another ticket I had to test my SIM card in another non iPhone 3G AT&T device. If that behaved properly then they said Apple should replace the unit. If the problems returned with the new iPhone then and only then, will they submit it to "voice tech" whatever the hell that is.

They claim no known issues, but I asked a stranger at Starbucks today whom I noticed had a 3G if he was having the same issues, and before I could even finish my question he described the same symptoms had been happening all week. This is along with five collegues/friends. So far this has gone under the radar and AT&T is denying any problems. The last tech insisted it wasn't the network but instead a slew of "all-the-sudden" faulty iPhone 3Gs. He claimed since my phone rang on his end and that he could leave a voicemail "it was there" the phone just wasn't getting it, yet somehow that's not a network problem?

It seems like this isn't a nation-wide thing, but there's enough complaints out there to determine that this probably isn't because of the iPhone either. How's it looking to everyone?

-Thanks Eric and Aaron!

AT&T's U-Verse Screwing With Network Says Comcast

Kit Eaton — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:24:07 EDT

Leaky signals from badly-installed AT&T U-Verse systems are squeezing up into the cable network and degrading broadband performance for others on some nodes, according to Comcast. About 40 cases of the problem have been reported since AT&T began supplying U-Verse in the Chicago area, with about 17,000 Comcast customers being affected. And though at first it sounds a bit like a schoolyard tussle, AT&T's lack of response has led Comcast to seek a restraining order from a court in Illinois.

While AT&T uses twisted pair cable to get to your front door, and Comcast uses coax, once they're inside, the signals share cabling. This means if you use U-Verse TV and Comcast broadband, and "feedback" from the U-Verse system spills upstream, it can affect the service of everyone connected to the same Comcast node. Comcast alleges that poor installation by U-Verse engineers is letting these signals leak via poor filters or systems using similar frequencies, and that AT&T has not motivated itself to fix the problem.

Unsurprisingly, AT&T is highly skeptical that U-Verse is the source of the issue. This is AT&T's position on the case: the "suit lacks merit," said a spokesperson. It's a bit of dirty work to try to keep them out of the Illinois cable TV market and AT&T will keep trying "to bring Illinois consumers a new choice for video services as we have in other states and will oppose Comcast's efforts to thwart that."

Comcast, however, is taking a holier-than-thou attitude: "AT&T should act like a good corporate citizen and work with Comcast to resolve this privately." Because Comcast supposedly behaves like that themselves, yes? [Arstechnica]