Want Verizon Wireless 3G coverage ads? AT&T’s got a lawsuit for that!
By Will Park on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 2:52 PM PST In AT&T, Financial/Corporate News, Legal, Verizon, iPhone
If you’ve glanced at your TV recently, chances are good you’ve seen those Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless ads mocking AT&T (NYSE: T) for having an allegedly spotty 3G network. The TV commercials play off those “there’s an app for that” iPhone ads, declaring that “there’s a Verizon Wireless 3G coverage map” to show you just why Verizon’s 3G network is better than AT&T’s. Today, AT&T reacted to the ads by filing a lawsuit against Verizon Wireless, asking the court for a temporary restraining order against Big Red’s ad campaign. “Verizon has stepped over the line of legitimate comparative advertising,” said AT&T.
The lawsuit, filed in Atlanta federal court, is aimed at stopping Verizon from using their “misleading” ads. At issue are the 3G coverage maps that Verizon is using to show AT&T’s 3G coverage area. AT&T claims that the white/blank areas of the coverage maps are misleading consumers into thinking that AT&T has no coverage whatsoever in those blank area. The company argues that AT&T customers can “fully use their wireless devices outside of a ‘3G’ coverage area and undisputedly have coverage in areas depicted by white or blank spaces on the maps used in Verizon’s advertisements.”
AT&T is asking for a temporary restraining order against VZW, until the court can pin down dates for injunction hearings.
What say you, reader? Is AT&T just trying to run damage control on a fair ad? Or has Verizon Wireless gone too far with their commercials?
[Via: Reuters]
AT&T coverage is the absolute worst. They should work on improving their shoddy network instead of filing lawsuits. I’ve had AT&T for a couple of years because I got the iPhone, and I absolutely despise them!
Maybe AT&T should step it up a bit. Verizon should not stop the Adds, they are a true fact.
I believe it is a fair ad. When I watched it was clear that they were comparing 3G coverage. To the consumer that cares about 3G coverage they will understand the ramifications of not having 3G coverage.
they are just doing damage control. they know their 3g coverage stinks. seeing that commercial, everyone knows they have coverage in the white or blank areas, they just dont have 3g coverage there. not misleading whatsoever. sorry at&t, but your wrong and it looks obvious you just have no way to counter-act their claims!
I must confess, I’m one of those weirdos who doesn’t really watch TV that much, but I Youtubed the commercial, and it differentiates that the coverage is 3G, rather than all coverage, and I have to agree with the posts thus far. I also think that, as device-aware as the US has become, there is still an awful reality that the only thing AT&T have to worry about is the ignorant consumer, but taking advantage of US consumer ignorance and naivete has been a cornerstone of the (incredibly lucrative) marketing industry, almost forever.
It might help if VZW actually posted what their 3G does compared to AT&T… VZW is voice only, using the same networking capabilities that they’ve always had. AT&T on the other hand is demonstrating simultaneous voice & data coverage, which means that they need to build, for all intents & purposes, a whole new infrastructure using their older voice & data as a backbone while also improving on the new processes to come. If anyone would think logically, that would mean that yes, VZW has the bigger 3G VOICE network but AT&T’s is better in the long run because of its dual operating capabilities.
Quite frankly, I’ve never had anyone besides AT&T and have never had any complaints and I feel that VZW did go too far. It’s awesome that they show their map that has always been the same while comparing it to an ongoing project.
What the hell are you talking about? Verizon’s 3G network is used for both voice and data. I guess the reason why there are so many ‘fast busys’ on ATT is because they can’t handle the added traffic. Its always been like that.
FASTEST 3G my ass. I consistently get 1.5Mbps on my Mifi. so much that I use my itouch and its faster than my ‘returned’ iphone.
ATT has always sucked. Take away 1 phone and where would they be? can’t build a business around just one phone.
How hypocritical AT&T is. They have been using competitive questionable advertising for years. (least dropped calls, more bars in more places) and Verizon has just advertised the value of their own network. For the first time Verizon Wireless has the intestinal fortitude to actually show the factual difference in the 3G networks. AT&T should stop whining and improve their data network.
I just can’t wait until Verizon Wireless gets the I-phone.
AT&T vs VERIZON…. what’s the big deal?? Yeah, Verizon did go over the line a bit…. and AT&T filed a lawsuit… so what!! Welcome to AMERICA… where we can file silly law suits like that… BOTH companies leave a lot to be desired. where one fails the other does NOT … If you don’t like ATT then go somewhere ELSE… If you don’t like VERIZON then go somewhere ELSE…STOP whining about your coverage and how it sucks…. and how you only came to AT&T for the iPhone and it sucks… then perhaps you shouldn’t have bought the damn iPhone… perhaps you should RESEARCH first…it doesn’t matter what mobile carrier you go to, people will always find something to complain about. so STOP whining and DEAL with the decision you made when you bought your mobile phone…No one MADE you buy the phone, you did that all on your own.
Verizon may have more towers, but their backhaul to their core network is sized for voice coverage, not data. If the Android is a hit, Verizon 3G coverage will suck far worse than AT&T ever has.
Verizon’s CDMA cannot support simultaneous voice and data, sorry kids.
Verizon also has to build out a completely new network to support 4G because LTE is not backward compatible with CDMA. That also means they have to run both networks until they turn off CDMA, and EVERY EXISTING VERIZON PHONE BECOMES INSTANTLY OBSOLETE. Except the LTE phones you will have to buy, of course.
AT&T spent about $20 Billion each of the last 2 years improving data capacity mostly to account for the iPhone. You think Verizon is going to spend that kind of money on their dead-end CDMA network?
AT&T spends on average $5 billion per year on network upgrades, not $20 billion. FYI, your $20 billion claim is from 2005-2008, that’s 4 years. Oh, you also claimed it was $20 billion for the past two years???
http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=25726
Verizon Wireless Spends on average $5.5 billion per year.
http://aboutus.vzw.com/bestnetwork/network_facts.html
You said LTE is not backward compatible with EVDO? Networks are never backward compatible, it’s the equipment that’s backward compatible. This is nothing different than any other technology change within the industry. Verizon will sell dual mode phones, EVDO/LTE. So, no Verizon phone will be instantly obsolete?
Verizon will not have to “build” a whole new network. They will just add a new piece of hardware to their cell towers.
Nothing you said is factual nor was it on the article topic…? Definitely sounds like you’re an employee of AT&T, just hot out of training, trying to scrape up facts so you don’t feel guilty selling people that junk. However, first, know your facts…
http://www.mobile-broadband-reviews.com/wireless-broadband-reviews.html i got an iphone with at&t and if it gives me the data, the 3g, etc., i can careless what the speed is besides if 3g is going slow for me, just slap on the wifi and i get a lot faster speeds .. sooooo what does VZW have??? oh yeah, no wifi =)