No iPhone 3G Tethering..?! What the Hey.?!?
Posted on 16 June 2008, at 9:58 am, by Christopher Spera
I was making the rounds before really getting into my day when I saw this over at Mobility Site (a regular stop for me). They cite an iPhone Atlas article which credits an AT&T spokesman with indicating that tethering won’t be allowed for the iPhone 3G (even though it currently is for the iPhone 2G).
…according to AT&T spokesman, Mark A. Siegel, who spoke with iPhone Atlas earlier this week, AT&T will not be supporting a PAM plan for the iPhone 3G. The only available data plan for the iPhone will be the new $30 consumer unlimited data and visual voice mail plan and the $45 business data plan.
This really takes me aback, as this was something that I was looking forward to. I don’t do this a lot (and won’t with the new iPhone), but it is nice in a pinch when something (an important e-mail, post, etc.) HAS to go out NOW and can’t wait until I get off the train.
This is either going to change at AT&T, or people are going to find a way to work around it. I’d rather not do something like this without permission, however… but when you’re stuck you either have to carry around a spare phone that WILL do it, or figure out a way around the problem.
UPDATE: It was pointed out to me that there is NO official way of tethering your iPhone to your computer, and that is correct. The article at iPhone Atlas does mention a method of tethering your 2G iPhone to your PC; but its a hack, and is NOT sanctioned by AT&T. Please note that no one at Gear Diary advises doing anything that would violate any agreements users enter into with AT&T or any other carrier. You attempt something like this at your own risk.
June 16th, 2008 at 10:03 am
aka - we’re not sure our network really has the bandwidth but we’re going to smile and say it does….but just in case - no tethering until we work the kinks out….
I will be interested to see what AT&T’s footprint for 3G is on 7/11. In Glastonbury it is really spotty (at least according to their map)
June 16th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I always thought it was more along the lines of their old MediaNet vs. PDA Connect plans - we’ll charge you a lower rate for data (back then it was $20 vs. $50 or something like that) but we’ll limit what you can do on the cheaper plan. The iPhone plan is a cheaper plan, so I’m not surprised they’ve limited it, even in this day and age.
What they need to do is offer a complete data plan (at a slightly higher price, of course) that is unrestricted, including the use of tethering. The OS is fully capable of it (as is evidenced by the aforementioned hack).
June 16th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I agree, and it may come down to that; but not quite yet, I think. I don’t want to pay $45-$50 bucks over and above my rate plan for data. I just won’t do it. $20-$30 bucks, yes, but not much more.
June 16th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Actually, the current iPhone does not allow tethering either. It’s only available via a jailbreak hack. So they’re blocking something thats available on other 3G phones, but not on an iPhone of any generation.
Which sucks, by the way, especially since it now counts as an upgrade. I didn’t care when I bought my original iPhone since it didn’t count towards my allotted upgrade, but if I have to give up a chance for a subsidized second phone, I am more hesitant if the iPhone isn’t going to tether, still has no mms, etc.