AT&T Wireless GSM is a bit of a convoluted story. Before the AT&T story, let's review the definition of GSM. GSM phones use encryption to make the telephone calls more secure. Digital cellular, PCS-based systems, and Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEN) all use GSM as their basis. It is the international standard for Europe, Australia, and large parts of Asia and Africa. GSM phones in Europe and Asia operate on bandwidth frequencies of 1800 MHz or 900 MHz. In the United States GSM phones operate at 1900 MHz. Now, let's move on to the AT&T Wireless story. In 2002 AT&T's wireless services announced two-way roaming capabilities for GSM phones, broadening wireless use to much of North America, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. AT&T's GSM cell phones work on the 1900 MHz band, although AT&T had been phasing those phones out since the beginning, in favor of wireless phones which work on the 850 MHz band. In 2003, when compatible phones became available, Cingular changed their entire cell phone series to GSM 850/1900 models. AT&T, on the other hand, took their time switching their phones and continued to offer wireless phones which were missing the 850 MHz band, including everyone of their smartphones (prior to the Treo 600 and including the Nokia 3650, Pocket PC Phone, Motorola's MPx200, and Blackberries). Since many AT&T customers could only use half the airwaves AT&T owned, AT&T developed a reputation for poor reception and poor coverage. AT&T offered free replacement phones although the replacements ended up being much worse than the originals (check Engadget.com for more details on which AT&T cell phones have become obsolete). Currently, AT&T's wireless company no longer exists. It was bought out by Cingular, and Cingular is slowly but surely killing off the wireless AT&T brand name, and replacing it with pure Cingular. |
AT&T Wireless GSM
