In essence, we believe the ads mislead consumers into believing that AT&T doesn’t offer ANY wireless service in the vast majority of the country. In fact, AT&T’s wireless network blankets the US, reaching approximately 296M people. Additionally, our 3G service is available in over 9,600 cities and towns. Verizon’s misleading advertising tactics appear to be a response to AT&T’s strong leadership in smartphones. We have twice the number of smartphone customers… and we’ve beaten them two quarters in a row on net post-paid subscribers. We also had lower churn — a sign that customers are quite happy with the service they receive.

Even though the maps are clearly labeled as representing the 3G coverage area and Verizon has attempted to clear up any misconceptions by adding a “Voice and data services available outside of 3G areas” disclaimer to their ads, AT&T is still not satisfied. AT&T is still claiming that this type of advertising is designed to confuse the consumer; especially those who are not very tech-savvy.

It looks like AT&T is aiming to either get these ads pulled off the air or at least have their full coverage area included on the maps. Initially Verizon Wireless dismissed the lawsuit stating that “the suit doesn’t have any merits” and that their ads clearly explain that “non-3G coverage is available elsewhere”. It will be interesting to see how AT&T responds.

Verizon “There’s A Map For That” Ad:

I personally believe that AT&T has put way to much of their time and effort into the iPhone in the last few years and has let their network suffer because of it. The iPhone, like any other product, has a limited lifespan. Once iPhone sales begin to drop significantly what will AT&T be left with? The Garmin Nuvi Phone and a sub-par 3G network? To top it off, Verizon has acquired the rights to the nationwide 700mhz spectrum and should be rolling out LTE in a few select markets in Q1 2010. This poses a serious threat for AT&T and its current network. Unless some significant shift is made by AT&T, they may be on the losing end of this battle.

“There are currently over 200 million active users on Facebook; more than half of them are using Facebook every day.” – Facebook Statistic (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics)

There has been a shift. We are no longer limited by traditional communication barriers, although we have created entirely new ones. This digital space has opened doors to many new opportunities, and closed the doors to others. In order to be heard we must be fully integrated into the world of online social media, we must maintain an “online presence”, and communicate via a variety of different networks. In today’s environment, saying “I don’t use Twitter” is equivalent to announcing “I don’t use E-Mail!”. It is an almost necessary evil and it is becoming even more crucial as we move ahead.

As a member of the “Millennial” generation and a social media addict, I have been exposed to a great deal of online social media from its early stages. I have done extensive research in the field and have had the opportunity to network with some of its key players. I believe that this is truly only the beginning. As networks continue to expand and technology continues to evolve, we will become further engaged and increasingly dependent on this new form of communication. It is best for us to adapt now, rather than play catch-up in the years to come.

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