AT&T Promises ‘Any’ Mobile Video Chat App To Work On Its Network by End of 2013
When Google introduced its new Hangouts app it brought with it some unsavory memories from the past. Who could forget when AT&T users found out that the carrier was blocking their ability to conduct video calls over their cellular data connections back when Apple’s FaceTime was first launched. AT&T put iOS users through the ringer and eventually backed down on many fronts in that case, but didn’t give in on every aspect leaving users on unlimited data plans with the short end of the stick. So, it was extremely surprising to hear that Ma Bell plans to drastically change its stance on video chat apps by the end of 2013.
AT&T draws an arbitrary distinction between “pre-loaded” apps versus the apps you install yourself, and for the former on phones from Apple, Samsung and BlackBerry, video chat over cellular is already available on the carrier’s Mobile Share and Tiered plans. That list expands to include unlimited users on LTE next month – but not unlimited users on non-LTE hardware.
According to AT&T all that plans to change by the end of 2013. The carrier plans “to enable pre-loaded video chat apps over cellular for all customers, regardless of data plan or device.” That will cover apps like Google’s recently unveiled Hangouts, and will finally bring video chat to unlimited data users on older hardware, like the iPhone 4S.
It’s nice to hear that AT&T has finally decided to play nice in the sandbox. Now, if they could just hurry up and roll out the new policy. Check out AT&T’s statement on the hot button issue below:
For video chat apps that come pre-loaded on devices, we currently give all OS and device makers the ability for those apps to work over cellular for our customers who are on Mobile Share or Tiered plans. Apple, Samsung and BlackBerry have chosen to enable this for their pre-loaded video chat apps. And by mid-June, we’ll have enabled those apps over cellular for our unlimited plan customers who have LTE devices from those three manufacturers.
Throughout the second half of this year, we plan to enable pre-loaded video chat apps over cellular for all our customers, regardless of data plan or device; that work is expected to be complete by year end.
Today, all of our customers can use any mobile video chat app that they download from the Internet, such as Skype.
