Appletell

Apple isn’t the only one preparing for the launch of the 3G iPhone, AT&T is also undertaking some steps of it’s own.  The first of these actions came from a memo that AppleInsider got a hold of.  According to the memo, starting on May 14th AT&T customers will only be able to purchase one iPhone at a time which is down from the limit of three that was originally in place.  Furthermore, there will have to purchase the device with a credit or debit card, ruling out cash or checks.  This is most likely to assure that they have some stock left until the 3G version is launched.

The second step is probably the bigger of the two.  On Wednesday, AT&T said it plans on having its 3G wireless network up to speeds of 20 megabits per second by 2009.  AT&T’s mobility leader, Ralph de la Vega, says, “It’s clear to us that we are in the very early stages of what I would call a wireless data revolution.” Better yet, he adds that this upgrade will hopefully not require as many hardware modifications as usual in these sorts of updates.

Its clear that AT&T realizes they really need to improve their network in preparation for the iPhone and other new devices such as the Blackberry 9000.  If they want to stop people from jailbreaking their iPhones and simply using another carrier, they need to give them a reason to stay.  This would be the first step in that direction.

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