Computerworld - An AT&T Inc. executive today said that the company is working with Apple Inc. to come up with a way for iPhone owners to use the device as an ad hoc cellular modem to connect their laptops to the Web while they're on the road.

In an interview with blogger Michael Arrington at the Web 2.0 Summit, AT&T Mobility President and CEO Ralph De La Vega said his company would have a sanctioned tethering solution "soon" for iPhone users.

AT&T already provides the service -- where a laptop accesses the Internet through the mobile network by "tethering" it to a cell phone's wireless data connection -- for BlackBerry users at $30 extra a month. It has not, however, officially allowed tethering from the iPhone.

An AT&T spokesman confirmed De La Vega's comments, but declined to provide any more information, including exactly when the service would be available and at what cost.

Although Apple has quashed at least one tethering application by yanking it from the App Store in August, iPhone owners who "jailbreak" their phones can install one of several unsanctioned tethering programs.

One of those programs, PDAnet, was ported to the iPhone by its developer, June Fabrics Technology Inc., and can be downloaded and installed on the iPhone using the open-source Cydia application installer. PDAnet turns the iPhone into the equivalent of a wireless router that then can be accessed from any Mac or Windows laptop.

Current AT&T terms of service for iPhone plans, however, specifically ban tethering. "Furthermore, unlimited plans (except for Data Connect and BlackBerry tethered) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/PDA-to-computer accessories, Bluetooth or any other wireless technology) to laptops, PCs, or other equipment for any purpose," AT&T's conditions state.

Read more about macintoshes in Computerworld's Macintoshes Knowledge Center.

Comment Recommend Digg Twitter ShareThis

Email Print Send Feedback Reprints

Jump to comments

AT&T

Additional Resources

Microsoft

DirectAccess and UAG: Better Together

Here are some of the key reasons why you would want to run Unified Access Gateway with DirectAccess.

Microsoft

Case Study: Energy Firm Tightens Protection, Simplifies IT Work

Review how one energy firm tightened protection and simplified IT work using business-ready security solutions.

Sybase

NEXT-GENERATION MOBILITY PLATFORMS

In this white paper, IDC analyzes the role of next-generation mobile enterprise platforms as organizations seek a more strategic deployment of mobile solutions.

Learn the important issues you must consider before starting your next mobility initiative. Get your mobility white paper from IDC now, compliments of Sybase.