Skip the navigation
News

AT&T unveils iPhone app that marks poor service spots

The big question: What will the carrier do with the customer-provided data?

By Gregg Keizer
December 7, 2009 02:42 PM ET

Computerworld - AT&T today released an application for Apple's iPhone that lets customers submit complaints about dropped calls, poor coverage and substandard voice quality.

The free application, called "Mark the Spot," uses the GPS-based location marking of the iPhone 3G and 3GS, and the crude cell tower triangulation in the first-generation iPhone, to determine the user's location, then offers several complaint choices. Users can report dropped or failed calls, data failure, poor voice quality and no-coverage zones.

On the application's iTunes page, AT&T didn't explain how it would use the data customers submitted, saying only that the company is "committed to providing its customers with the best network experience possible," and that the iPhone app would "help contribute toward this goal."

AT&T's Mark the Spot asks iPhone users to document poor service locales.
AT&T's Mark the Spot asks iPhone users to document poor service locales.

Exactly what AT&T does with the information is the crucial question, said analyst Jack Gold, of J. Gold Associates. "The question I would have is what AT&T will ultimately do with the data.... What's the action plan behind this?" Gold said. "It's easy to make an app like this, but unless this is something AT&T released just to make people think they're doing something about their network problems, the hard part is using the data."

An AT&T spokeswoman said that the company would use customers' complaints to fine-tune network performance and "help prioritize our ongoing efforts to enhance, expand, and improve our wireless network."

iPhone owners have complained about AT&T's network since Apple unveiled the smartphone in June 2007. Those complaints grew after the July 2008 release of the iPhone 3G, the first model to use the carrier's faster data network, when customers flooded Apple's support forum with stories of weak signals, dropped calls and slower-than-promised data download speeds.

A dozen lawsuits from consumers who were tired of their iPhone 3G devices constantly dropping calls or having trouble connecting to AT&T's network are still pending, although they were consolidated by a federal judge last summer.

"AT&T needed to do something like this," Gold said today, speaking of Mark the Spot. "It's hard to know the extent of the problems with its network, but clearly, there's a fundamental issue with AT&T."

Rival Verizon has taken advantage of AT&T's poor performance -- Consumer Reports recently ranked the carrier at the bottom in U.S. customer satisfaction, for example -- to mock the iPhone's "There's an app for that" line with an ad campaign touting "There's a map for that" and showing Verizon's broader 3G coverage area.

"AT&T has to react to Verizon," said Gold, speculating that the Mark the Spot is another weapon AT&T can use to combat Verizon's claims. "They're getting their butt handed to them."

AT&T has countered with a campaign in which actor Luke Wilson defends the carrier's 3G coverage.

Gold had a suggestion for how to use data like that AT&T being collected with the new iPhone application. "One very cool thing would be if someone would build an app like this, but put the results on a Web site to show the problem areas. Everyone talks about it, but no one really knows the extent of it. That would force the issue."

Mark the Spot can be downloaded directly to an iPhone running version 3.0 or later of Apple's operating system, or using iTunes (iTunes page), then later synchronizing the iPhone to the PC or Mac.

Read more about Macintosh in Computerworld's Macintosh Topic Center.



Additional Resources
Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World
WHITE PAPER
Solving application issues over the WAN requires careful consideration. Based on their independent research, Forrester Consulting offers recommendations on how to tackle application performance issues, insufficient bandwidth and the inability to quickly restore users in a disaster.

Read now.

Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Macintosh White Papers
Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory
As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.
Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
Top Solutions and Tools to Prevent Devastating Malware
Custom malware frequently goes undetected. According to Forrester Research, the best way to reduce risk of breach is to deploy file integrity monitoring...
Streamline Compliance and Increase ROI
Streamline, simplify, and automate compliance related activities; especially those that impact multiple business units. This white paper from NetIQ, outlines solutions that will...
X-Ray of the PCI Process-4 Proactive Steps
This white paper from Forrester Research Inc., helps break PCI into understandable components. Security and risk professionals will gain knowledge and insight into...
All Macintosh White Papers
Macintosh Webcasts
Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
Virtualize Business-Critical Applications with Confidence
Virtualizing business-critical applications has become a key focus for organizations as they move along their virtualization journey. With the launch of VMware vSphere®...
All Macintosh Webcasts
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs