AT&T Reverse Cell Phone Directory - Does it Exist?

AT&T was part of the U.S. cell phone collective that was developing the now defunct Wireless 411, the national wireless directory. The official Wireless 411 is now an after thought because of public outrage and government pressure. So no official AT&T directory or reverse directory exists. However, if you are in need of finding the owner to an AT&T number, you can get help from a reverse phone resource (more on that below).

There is no other cellular network that can claim the success of AT&T; not only has it become the largest provider of service within the United States but it offers one of the most diverse set of benefits found within any company. From residential uses to plans tailored for businesses, AT&T is known for its wide variety, multiple products and reliable service.

But, of course, not even the giant of the cellular industry can manage what so many of its clients want: a listing of numbers for easy explanations over unknown calls. AT&T might have the strongest listing of extras but it falls short of perfection with this one area. We believe that can be forgiven, though, since there are other options to be found. You are not being withheld any information; you merely have to seek it elsewhere.
Getting back to reverse phone searches, a reverse phone book works with limited incentives. It allows you to type in an unknown number and see where it is located and, in many cases, to whom it belongs. While the typical phone book relies on names and other essential pieces, this idea works within the concept that, sometimes, you simply do not have enough to tell. You do not have the answers so you can´t ask the proper question.

Reverse phone search companies will help you find the owner to any phone number. Many are paid searches or paid subscriptions. Here is one that will walk you through your free reverse phone search options before you decide to pay a fee. This page essentially provides you with a reverse phone book.

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Verizon Wireless to Purchase SureWest Communications' Wireless Assets In Northern California

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless and SureWest Communications announced today they have signed a definitive agreement for Verizon Wireless to purchase SureWest Communications' wireless assets in northern California, operating as SureWest Wireless, for $69.0 million.

The purchase includes SureWest Wireless' spectrum licenses, and network and operations assets in the greater Sacramento area. The licenses, which cover a population of 3.8 million people and overlap with areas currently served by Verizon Wireless, will expand the company's capacity in that area. Verizon Wireless plans to begin serving SureWest Wireless' more than 50,000 customers when the deal is finalized.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2008 and is subject to federal regulatory approvals.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 63.7 million customers. The largest U.S. wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 68,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone . Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at
www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
Source

Cell phone bill on the rise? Check your SMS charges

If you've been paying attention to mobile carriers' SMS pricing lately (and something tells us you haven't) you'd be surprised to discover a fairly disturbing trend amongst providers: price hikes.

Over the past year or so, nearly every major carrier in the US has raised their per-price cost of SMS messages, with Verizon and Sprint jacking up the fee from $0.15 to $0.20 a message, and AT&T and T-Mobile adding another nickel to their $0.10 charge. Of course, this trend of rising prices accompanies a major spike in the use of text messages amongst customers, with some surveys marking a 130-percent jump over SMS use since June 2006 -- and telcos are taking it to the bank.
What's most insidious about the inflated costs is the fact that SMS data is particularly low-bandwidth, and analysts say that the price increases aren't related to higher operating costs -- these companies are simply gouging customers for a service which they have embraced. Companies say the hikes are meant to encourage customers to go for more expensive "bundles," though we're confident they won't mention it when your Mom uses more messages than her plan allows and unwittingly pays a few extra bucks on her bill -- that stuff adds up, you know?

Panel split over ban on hand-held phones in cars

Sen. Michael G. Lenett is sponsor of the bill to ban use of hand-held phones while driving.
It's talking on the phone, not holding it in your hand, that leads to auto accidents, opponents of a ban on hand-held cell phone use while driving told lawmakers yesterday.

But proponents of the ban - who have been trying for nearly a decade to enact legislation restricting cell phone use while driving - said that handling phones and the increasingly prevalent practice of typing messages on them while behind the wheel increase the likelihood of driver distraction, which accounts for more than a million car crashes a year.

Lawmakers appeared split on the issue during a committee hearing yesterday, and proponents said the measure is within one vote of success or failure.

Gary M. Horewitz, a government affairs representative for Sprint Nextel, said the Maryland law would "lead to greater risk on the highway" because it would encourage drivers to talk on hands-free devices - and that it is the potentially distracting conversation, not the handling of phones per se, that is the real danger.

"The bill will potentially lead to more crashes, not less," he said.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Michael G. Lenett, a Montgomery County Democrat, would allow drivers to use wireless communication devices only with hands-free accessories, such as headphone sets equipped with microphones.

At least five states and the District of Columbia have passed bans on driving while talking on hand-held cell phones, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation. Among them are Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.

After yesterday's hearing, Lenett said the proposed ban - variations of which have deadlocked Maryland's legislature since 1999 - faces a tough hurdle in the nine-member Judicial Proceedings committee.

"It's extremely close, maybe within one vote," Lenett said. But he maintained hope that support from Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration as well as a national trend toward similar bans would swing the issue this year.

But Sprint lobbyists and several Republican committee members pointed to accident statistics from the Maryland State Police that list cell phones as causing only one half of 1 percent of all crashes.

Sen. Brian E. Frosh, the Montgomery County Democrat who chairs the committee considering the bill, said he supports the measure but added that it is too early to predict whether his members would vote to send the legislation to the Senate floor for a full hearing.

"It's a very controversial issue, one in which people are going to try and figure out how their constituents feel about it," Frosh said.

If the bill does make it out of committee, leaders in the Senate and House of Delegates said it stands a good chance of becoming law.

Both Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch said yesterday that they would support the ban.

If it passes the Senate, Busch predicted the bill would have a "strong possibility" of support in the House, though he said the law would be difficult to enforce.

"I know it would be a great inconvenience to many, but it's a life-saving measure," Miller said. "I'm sure people will give it a fair shot."

Sen. Nancy Jacobs, a Republican representing Harford and Cecil counties, told members of the Judicial Proceedings Committee yesterday that she believed using a cell phone while driving could actually save lives in some circumstances.

"When somebody's whizzing by me at 100 miles an hour, I'll often call the police and report the license plate," Jacobs said to Lenett during the hearing.

Emergency calls would be exempted from the ban, he responded.

"What about a call from one of your children to you because of what they thought of as an emergency situation?" Jacobs asked.

AT&T's third-quarter profit rises 41.5%

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- AT&T Inc. on Tuesday said third-quarter earnings rose 41.5%, boosted by the acquisition of BellSouth and the addition of 2 million net wireless customers.

The San Antonio-based phone giant got a big lift from the iPhone. Since the mobile device went on sale June 29, 1.1 million customers have activated service with AT&T, the exclusive U.S. partner of Apple Inc.

More than 950,000 have signed up since the start of the third quarter.

AT&T, meanwhile, said net income totaled $3.06 billion, or 50 cents a share, compared with $2.17 billion, or 56 cents a share, a year ago. The company had fewer shares outstanding in the 2006 third quarter.

Much of the increase in earnings stemmed from the company's acquisition of BellSouth in December 2006.

Revenue rose almost 93% to $30.1 billion from $15.6 billion a year earlier, mostly due to wireless growth and the inclusion of BellSouth.

Adjusted for the acquisition, sales rose a much smaller 3.2% to 30.3 billion. AT&T said savings generated by the purchase of BellSouth are expected to surpass its original forecasts and top $3 billion in 2007.

As a result, the company also increased its annual target for "free cash flow after dividends" to a range of $6 billion to $7 billion from its prior estimate of $5 billion to $6 billion. Shares of AT&T a component of the Dow Jones industrial average, rose in early Tuesday trades, up 0.7% to $41.46.

Excluding acquisition-related expenses and other one-time costs, AT&T said it would have earned $4.3 billion, or 71 cents a share, compared with income of $2.4 billion, or 63 cents a share, a year ago.

The adjusted profit met Wall Street's forecast. The carrier was expected to earn 71 cents a share on revenue of $30.12 billion, according to the consensus of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.

Wireless revenue jumped 14.4% to $10.9 billion from a year earlier, with operating margin rising to 18% from 14.8% omitted merger-related costs. AT&T ended the third quarter with a nation-leading 65.7 million mobile customers.

The company also added 499,000 high-speed Internet customers to bring its total to 13.8 million, also the No. 1 market position in the U.S., and AT&T ended the quarter with 126,000 customers for its new U-Verse fiber-TV service.

Wireless growth

The large gain in wireless customers indicates the iPhone has given AT&T a big boost in its battle to fend off Verizon Wireless for the No. 1 position in the U.S. mobile market. Most analysts were expecting AT&T to add no more than 1.7 million mobile customers.

While AT&T has activated 1.1 million iPhone accounts, Apple said late Monday that it's sold 1.4 million devices. That means AT&T has as many as 300,000 iPhones in stock to sell ahead of the upcoming holiday season. During the quarter, AT&T said average monthly revenue per user rose 2% to $50.82, the result of higher usage of wireless-data services and Internet access.

Churn, or the percentage of customers who cancel service each month, rose slightly to 1.7% from 1.6% in the prior quarter. Among valuable post-paid subscribers, or those who sign up for annual plans and pay at the end of each month, churn edged up to 1.3% from a company low 1.2% in prior quarter.

AT&T said the higher sequential churn reflected "typical third-quarter seasonality." The company still trails Verizon Wireless, whose overall churn rate is close to 1%.

Verizon also generates more revenue from its wireless business than AT&T does. Verizon Wireless is jointly owned by Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC AT&T believes the iPhone will improve customer loyalty and pull away customers from rivals such as Sprint Nextel Corp. Carriers are trying to differentiate themselves as the competition for customers intensifies.

Since most adult Americans now own mobile phones, subscriber growth will eventually taper off. Revenue expansion is more likely to stem from gains in market share and the introduction of new services such as mobile video.

Wireline business

In AT&T's more traditional phone business, often referred to as the landline or wireline market, results were mixed again. AT&T said revenue in its corporate-services unit fell 0.3% to $4.8 billion, although sales were up 1% from the prior quarter. In the consumer market, more local-phone customers disconnected service to continue a long-term trend. Subscribers switched to cable or Internet-phone service, or dropped wireline service entirely.

To win back customers, AT&T is adding video and other offerings. During the quarter, the carrier gained said it's approaching its goal of adding 10,000 customers each week for its fledging U-Verse service. AT&T plans to ramp up its TV service over the next few years to stem the loss of local-phone customers to cable companies that operate in its territory. Yet many investors and analysts question the company's technological approach and limited spending plan. Verizon is spending much more on an advanced fiber strategy.

Rumors persist that AT&T might buy one of the nation's two major satellite-television operators, EchoStar Communications Inc. or DirecTV. AT&T already sells their satellite services through prior marketing arrangements.

SOURCE

Vonage Sued Again, This Time by AT&T

The Internet phone company Vonage disclosed over the weekend that it had been sued, yet again, by a telecom giant for infringing patents, the Wall Street Journal reported. This time, AT&T says that Vonage is violating a patent which allows users to access an Internet phone system through a standard phone.

The suit was actually filed last Wednesday, but Vonage did not disclose it until issuing a regulatory filing late Friday.

Verizon’s suit against Vonage, which Vonage lost but is now appealing, led to a judge ruling that Vonage can no longer use certain technologies. Earlier this month, Vonage settled another suit, by Sprint, by agreeing to license over 100 Sprint patents for $80 million.

SOURCE

AT&T looks to improve its local cell service

Kerrville residents who have wireless telephone service with AT&T can look forward to what the company claims are “quality and capacity” enhancements as part of its $1.25 billion investment in its Texas network for 2007, AT&T announced Wednesday.

The enhanced service is the result of new cell sites and improvements to existing cell towers along Interstate 10 and 13 other state highways.

“Customers in the Kerrville area might notice there are expanded places where maybe they didn’t have the best reception before,” said Natasha Collins, an AT&T spokesman.

She said the voice quality of calls also should improve. “If they heard a garbled noise before, they may not now, with the enhanced coverage.”

Collins said customers should be able to send more text messages and photos over the wireless network, but added that these and other enhancements might not be evident right away, as some of the network improvements are scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year. She added that not every customer is guaranteed improved voice quality, messaging and photo capabilities. “Some customers might already have great quality in voice service, but if there’s one spot along the highway — if they normally drop a call there — they may not now. But it’s not a blanket guarantee.”

Cingular Wireless customers won’t see any changes on their monthly bills as a result of the enhancements, Collins said, because AT&T budgets money each year for beefing up service to its customers. It’s a “proactive” measure, Collins said.

Kerrville is one of 17 Texas cities targeted for improved wireless service by AT&T, including Boerne and San Antonio. For now, the city is essentially an out-of-network community, with customers billed what some refer to as “roaming charges” each time AT&T has to use competitors’ cell towers to make phone connections in the Kerrville area. Collins didn’t think roaming charges per se were being applied to customers’ bills, but said she would look into the matter.

SOURCE.

Wi-Fi BlackBerry Duel: T-Mobile's Curve vs. AT&T's BlackBerry 8820

We take these two devices for a wireless spin side by side to see which is the better performer, and which deserves to be crowned the Wi-Fi BlackBerry king.

Round 1 - Design

RIM Blackberry Curve

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RIM BlackBerry 8800

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Both of these phones fall strongly into the modern BlackBerry school of design, with large, QWERTY keyboards beneath the display and a trackball in between for navigation. The design differences are mostly minor, but we're sure hardcore BlackBerry addicts will have their opinions either way. Most significantly, the 8820 is taller and wider, and the two are equally thick. Screen size is identical, and the keyboards seem to be about the same size, though the keys are shaped differently. We prefer T-Mobile's preset interface, with its MyFaves favorites up front and nicer looking home screen, but otherwise the menu structure and applications are about the same.

We like the keyboard on the Curve a bit better. The discrete keys are easier to press in a hurry, as opposed to the strangely angled keys on the 8820. We like the color scheme on the 8820, with its glossy black and silver cues, but otherwise it has no design advantage.

Winner: T-Mobile's BlackBerry Curve

Round 2 - Calling

RIM Blackberry Curve

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RIM BlackBerry 8800

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The BlackBerry 8820 makes phone calls that sound better than those on the BlackBerry Curve. We tested both phones in our quiet office, and a very loud local Starbucks, and heard much more background noise on calls made with the Curve. Perhaps this is due to the "noise cancellation" technology on the 8820, or simply due to the microphone placement on the Curve, which aims the mic away from your face. In any case, calls sound noticeably better on the 8820. Still, this only tells part of the story, as each phone has some special calling features.

The BlackBerry 8820 can use AT&T's push to talk (PTT) network. We don't have any PTT buddies to test the servce, but if this is a feature you or your employer uses, it could be a deciding point. T-Mobile's BlackBerry Curve, on the other hand, uses UMA technology. We've reviewed <"a href=http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/8045.html">T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home service, and we were very impressed with the calling option. In a nutshell, the service combines Wi-Fi VoIP-style calling with traditional cell service. If you make a lot of calls somewhere you also have good Wi-Fi access, this service will probably save you money. In fact, we were very enthusiastic about the HotSpot @Home service in our initial review, but lamented the lack of viable phones. Beyond being a good choice for BlackBerry fans, the Curve is the best choice for anyone who wants to take advantage of the HotSpot @Home service. We feel this is a compelling reason to overlook the phone's middling call quality and declare it our favorite for this category.

Winner: T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve

Round 3 - Web browsing

RIM Blackberry Curve

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RIM BlackBerry 8800

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At first, we were surprised to find the Curve outpacing the 8820 in terms of Web browsing. Pages were loading quicker, but they also looked different, usually less accurate. We found the default settings were different, with JavaScript turned off, and this made the difference. Once the browsers were on equal footing, we noticed no significant difference between the two. Strangely, the two phones render the same fonts differents, even though the font family, screen size and resolution were the same. Neither was better than the other, in terms of looks or speed, and both phones loaded pages fairly quickly. Frankly, our Apple iPhone loads pages quicker under Wi-Fi, and they look much better on the iPhone's browser, but that's a comparison for another day.

Winner: Tie

Round 4 - Multimedia

RIM Blackberry Curve

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RIM BlackBerry 8800

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Both phones make more of a stab at multimedia than their previous, full-QWERTY BlackBerry brethren. First, both phones support a range of audio and video files, can store files on microSD cards, and can play audio through stereo Bluetooth headphones. Neither phone comes with music transfer software that we enjoyed using, though the BlackBerry 8820 features AT&T's music setup, which lets you play PlaysForSure tracks from Napster and Yahoo. Both phones let you use your own music files as ringtones. The differences between the two is really in the hardware.

The Curve features a 2-megapixel camera. Images were unimpressive, but would do fine in a pinch. So, if you need a lens on your phone, the Curve is your only option here. Additionally, the Curve uses a 3.5mm audio connector, which is a standard headphone jack, instead of the smaller 2.5mm connector found on the 8820. This means you can plug your own headphones into the Curve, while the 8820 will require you to buy an adapter, since one is not included. It would seem the Curve is our clear favorite, for these hardware additions, but in fact there is one glaring omission on the Curve.

Of the two phones, only the 8820 has GPS navigation. AT&T provides TeleNav for directions, while the Curve is left without any navigation options. For us, GPS is a big deal, a great find on a smartphone. We appreciate the headphone jack on the Curve, and would like to see a similar jack on, well, every phone we use, but a simple jack can't make up for GPS. Neither can a 2-megapixel camera, when sub-par images will be far less useful to us than GPS navigation.

Winner: AT&T's BlackBerry 8820

Round 5 – Value

RIM Blackberry Curve

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RIM BlackBerry 8800

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To determine value, we tried to choose comparable plans that focused more on e-mail and data, and gave us a good deal on very few minutes. On AT&T, the phone costs $300 after a rebate and contract, which is $50 more than T-Mobile's Curve. For our 8820, we chose a low-end monthly plan with 450 minutes for $40, then added BlackBerry Unlimited, which gave us 10 email addresses and unlimited data for e-mail and Web browsing. The BlackBerry Unlimited service added a whopping $45 to our monthly bill.

For the Curve, the minute plan is smaller at the same price, 300 minutes for $40 instead of 450 minutes. We also added the $10/monthly @Home service. We figure this will save us at least the difference between the two carrier's calling plans, as we'll probably make most of our calls from Wi-Fi spots, and won't dip too deeply into our "whenever" minutes. Besides, on T-Mobile, the BlackBerry Unlimited add-on costs only $20 per month, so even though we're paying an extra $10 for @Home service, we save $25 monthly on BlackBerry data. Figuring in the cost difference for the phones, the T-Mobile plan will save us $410 in the two years we're under contract.

Winner: T-Mobile Curve

And the winner is . . .

RIM Blackberry Curve

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RIM BlackBerry 8800

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It should come as no real surprise to see the Curve come out on top in this duel. Both phones were fairly evenly matched before, as they both represent the current generation of high-end BlackBerry phones. The Curve has more multimedia features, with its better headphone port and camera, though the 8820 has more important features, notably GPS navigation. In terms of Wi-Fi, the two are pretty evenly matched, until you consider UMA. The BlackBerry 8820 may make calls that sound better, but UMA has great potential for convenience and cost savings. Beyond the free minutes, just knowing that good Wi-Fi reception means good cell reception may be the best selling point of all.

Champion: T-Mobile's BlackBerry Curve

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Town Hall to remove pay phones

The pay phone's days are numbered, at least in Town Hall and at police headquarters. For years back in the pre-cellular telephone era, there have been three pay phones in the Town Hall/Belden Cromwell Public Library complex, and one at police headquarters.

Town officials had been paying $47 a month for each phone. But now, the phone company is raising its rates - substantially. And that's the hang-up. First Selectman Paul C. Beaulieu said officials have been notified that "AT&T is getting out of the pay phone business."

"I guess they have pretty much been supplanted by those cell phones that everyone seems to have now," he said. To smooth its exit from the pay-phone business, Beaulieu said, AT&T suggested the town contact another carrier: Pacific Telemanagement Services or PTS, "which has expressed interest in providing pay phone service at your location(s)."

If that's so, Beaulieu said, they had a funny way of showing it. PTS announced that it was increasing the amount the town has to pay for pay-phone service from $47 to $75 a month per phone. That, town officials said, was simply too much to pay for too little business. There is a phone in the atrium of town hall, one in the adjacent Town Hall gymnasium, and one in the library, Beaulieu said.

"I think in public buildings, there needs to be one," Beaulieu said - but only one, especially at the new price. "I think one would suffice," Deputy First Selectman Stanley Stachura agreed. Police Chief Anthony J. Salvatore said he made contact with phone company officials immediately after the change in service and price hike were announced. He determined that, on average, there is one call a week made from the phone in the police station lobby. "That phone will be coming out," Salvatore announced.

He encouraged Beaulieu to make a similar check of the call volume at Town Hall, as well. "My guess is you probably have one call every two weeks," he said. But, Beaulieu said, he believes there should be at least one pay phone in Town Hall. The fact the phone at police headquarters will be coming out raised concerns for Selectman Richard R. Newton. "If I was to get arrested and had to make my one phone call, what would happen now?" Newton asked. Salvatore sought to reassure him, explaining that for safety reasons, "We do not let them (arrestees) use the phone in the lobby." Instead, the chief said, people who are arrested "use a phone in the booking area."

Reassured, Newton agreed with Beaulieu. "I think in a public building, we should have one," Newton said. "Not everyone has one of those (cell) phones." "So, yes, one (pay phone) in a public building is a good idea," Newton said.