AT&T wants Verizon to pull ads

The nation's top two cellular operators are in a fight with number two AT&T claiming that top ranked Verizon is not playing fair. Already involved in a legal contest with Big Red over a number of hard-hitting Verizon commercials, on Wednesday AT&T asked the Federal Court in Atlanta to force Verizon to pull the ads immediately. Jim Gerace, a spokesman for Verizon, said, "What we are saying doesn't change." And what Big Red has been saying is that it offers 3G coverage in more locations than AT&T does. Verizon claims to have 5 times the 3G coverage as its' rival and that is not in dispute. What the number two carrier is complaining about is that maps are misleading in that they appear to show no AT&T coverage at all in non 3G locations. Verizon has put a subtitle into the ad that explains that AT&T offers other coverage in the "white, non-3G areas" on the map. This has not been able to placate the latter firm "If customers think they can't make calls in the vast majority of the country ... that could do us irreparable harm," said AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel. Siegel's company claims in its' own ads to have the "Nation's fastest 3G network" even though the majority of the network runs at 2.5G speed, or "EDGE"-a much slower network than 3G. The operator says its' 3G network reaches 75% of the U.S. population. "The reality is that (AT&T's) network is not performing well inmany markets," says Walter Piecyk, a Pali Research analyst. "And theperception among consumers is even worse than reality." This battle will now proceed to the Island of high priced lawyers.

source: USATODAY



*UPDATE*
In a memo, AT&T has responded to the Verizon commercials by pointing out that their wireless coverage reaches 303 million people or 97% of the U.S. population where they work and live. 233 million people, or 75% of the U.S. population is reached by AT&T's 3G network which the carrier calls the nation's fastest. 301 million people or 96% of the population is reached by the 2.5G network jnown as EDGE. Between 3G and EDGE, customers can surf the net, send email or texts, streanm music, download pictures and more. 3G is obviously faster than EDGE.