According to a purported internal communication, AT&T will soon offer free MicroCells to certain customers experiencing poor service due to coverage issues. Pre-selected eligible customers “identified as likely to experience poor in-building coverage at home or in small offices” will receive the offer, which will entitle them each to a free 3G MicroCell with no monthly fees attached. The MicroCell and service will remain free unless its recipient chooses to cancel his or her cellular service w...

AT&T may want to be the darling of the US wireless carriers, but some of its policies are seemingly designed to turn a customer into an enemy and not an ally. Such is the case with its 3G MicroCell which is promoted as being a solution for those with cellular coverage issues. For those unaware, the 3G Microcell is a hardware device that lets customers use their broadband Internet connection to make and receive phone calls and, in the case of AT&T’s 3G-enabled MicroCell, to utilize the 3G data c...

Want to know what’s in those boxes pictured above? We bet you do, and since we love you, we’re going to tell you. They’re AT&T 3G MicroCells. According to several of our AT&T connects, they’ve hot off the delivery truck as AT&T’s national 3G MicroCell rollout has finally begun. Now, we should caution you that we’ve not been able to completely verify that this is nothing more than another one of those boring gradual rollouts, but based upon how many cities we...

After months of testing, AT&T has finally announced the nationwide rollout of its 3G MicroCell. Starting in mid-April and continuing over the next several months, AT&T will gradually introduce its MicroCell to new markets across the continental US. The unit will offer both 3G data and voice service and will cost each customer $149.99 for the equipment upfront. Similar to other femtocells, the AT&T MicroCell will support up to ten handsets and allow four simultaneous connections. Customers can choo...

The advent of femtocells is nothing short of fantastic. Think about it: A carrier has terrible service where you live or work, so what do you do about it? You get a device called a femtocell that will let you use your land-based broadband internet connection (that you pay another company for) to make calls and use data on your phone. Of course you don’t get a discount for using land-based broadband instead of your carrier’s cellular network, but you just mutter under your breath and fork over the ...

It looks like folks with lousy AT&T coverage may get some relief soon, as a new report suggests that AT&T is readying a soft launch of its 3G femtocell product dubbed the Microcell. The launch will target select markets including including Atlanta, San Antonio, Seattle and possibly one or more cities in North Carolina. AT&T is a bit late to the party considering how long ago these puppies popped up in its system, but better late than never we suppose. The soft launch is expected to begin next week...

Following AT&T’s recent and repeated claim that it is on schedule with a 3G femtocell solution to be released before the year is out, Sprint’s VP of device and technology development Mathew Oommen has officially thrown down the gauntlet:Just like Sprint was the first with 2G, we’ll definitely be the first in the 3G space as well. We’re not talking about trials; we’re talking about full commercial service.Pow… Take that, AT&T. For those unfamiliar with the technology...

Trials supposedly were underway months ago, but it looks like the launch could be literally around the corner. One of our faithful AT&T ninjas sent us in a screenshot that shows an AT&T 3G Microcell femtocell option in addition to AT&T’s broadband and TV service, U-Verse. We don’t have a date on this yet — we’ll continue to dig — but appearing publicly on employee’s screens is always a good sign!Thanks, Kal!UPDATE: Another AT&T 3G Microcell shot, this time s...

There’s nothing better than the smell of on-time launches in the morning. Earlier this week we learned that Verizon Wireless had a treat in store for users in low coverage areas and lo and behold, Big Red made good on the release date. The “Verizon Wireless Network Extender”, Verizon’s femtocell solution, is now available on its website. To refresh your memory, femtocell is essentially a small cell tower that allows users to get cellular-based services via a broadband connection. Beyon...

It looks like Verzion is all set to launch its answer to Sprint’s Airave femtocell on Sunday January 25th. What the heck is femtocell you ask? In a nutshell, a femtocell is a teeny, tiny cellphone tower that allows users to get all of their cellular services via a broadband connection. This means that soon you can be rocking up to three Verizon lines in the middle of nowhere, which is a bit strange since we’re pretty hard pressed to name an area Verizon doesn’t cover. Anyway, in case youR...

According to Dick Lynch, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Verizon Communications, Verizon Wireless is pushing up the timetable for its LTE rollout, aiming now for a late Q4 2009 deployment. Considering that Lynch said, “We expect that LTE will actually be in service somewhere here in the U.S. probably this time next year,” we can ascertain the initial deployment will be limited in scope and that the date is not set in stone. Nonetheless, such an aggressive timetable suggest...