AT&T 3G MicroCell available in some unlaunched markets, if you try hard enough

I've personally been following the launch of AT&T's 3G MicroCell very, very closely; I moved last year into a box surrounded on three sides by foot-thick cement (not much of an exaggeration) in which only Verizon's and T-Mobile's signals were able to penetrate without assistance -- and in my position, it's a non-negotiable requirement that I be able to use devices from all four US nationals. Since the announcement a few weeks back that the MicroCell would be going national, I've been practically bombarding my Chicago-area stores with calls, looking for a hint of detail on when they might be available here; they've already launched in New York City, so AT&T clearly isn't concerned about using them in densely-packed urban areas. This weekend I called four stores, and here's what I got:

Store 1: "We're supposed to have them in a couple of weeks."
Store 2: "We'll have them on May 6."
Store 3: "We have them in stock. Oh, hold on a minute. (long pause) I'm sorry, we're not allowed to sell them until the 10th."
Store 4: "Yes, we have them in stock."

In other words, there was no shortage of variety in sales reps' stories. I don't know how this happens -- it's conceivable that AT&T really is telling each store something entirely different, but it seems far more likely that these guys simply haven't been effectively educated on what's going on here. At any rate, I was able to march down to the fourth store I called and pick up the MicroCell with no hassles, therefore ending a many month-long personal nightmare of mine (and by the way, the device works just wonderfully).

The lesson learned? Even if the MicroCell hasn't launched in your market -- that is, you go to AT&T's MicroCell site and it tells you it's not yet available in your zip code -- be persistent and keep calling around. You've just got to find that one sales guy who's willing to flip it.

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AT&T 3G MicroCell starting nationwide roll-out in mid-April

Unless you've been in one of a few key test markets, you've been pretty much out of luck boosting your AT&T signal in the comfortable confines of your home since the 3G MicroCell first launched -- until now. Starting in the middle of next month in a deployment that spans "several" months, customers across the country should expect to see MicroCells pop up in their local regions. The device itself will run a one-time fee of $149.99 before a $100 mail-in rebate (when purchased with a "3G MicroCell calling plan," though we don't yet know what that constitutes). Separately, there'll be a $19.99 plan bolt-on that offers unlimited calling when connected to the device -- and anyone tacking on a new U-verse or DSL line of 1.5Mbps or higher will get another $50 rebate. It's not the end of AT&T's spectrum or backhaul concerns, we're sure, but it's a start.

Update: We've just clarified -- the $19.99 bolt-on is the only one that's relevant for the $100 rebate; there are no other dedicated MicroCell calling plans, so that should make it a little easier to bring down the net cost of the unit since you don't have to change into another base plan.

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AT&T 3G MicroCell startingnationwide roll-out in mid-April

Unless you've been in one of a few
key test markets, you've been pretty
much out of luck boosting your AT&T
signal in the comfortable confines of
your home since the 3G MicroCell first
launched -- until now. Starting in the
middle of next month in a
deployment that spans "several"
months, customers across the country
should expect to see MicroCells pop up
in their local regions. The device itself
will run a one-time fee of $149.99
before a $100 mail-in rebate (when
purchased with a "3G MicroCell calling
plan," though we don't yet know what
that constitutes). Separately, there'll
be a $19.99 plan bolt-on that offers
unlimited calling when connected to
the device -- and anyone tacking on a
new U-verse or DSL line of 1.5Mbps
or higher will get another $50 rebate.
It's not the end of AT&T's spectrum or
backhaul concerns, we're sure, but it's
a start.
Update: We've just clarified -- the
$19.99 bolt-on is the only one that's
relevant for the $100 rebate; there
are no other dedicated MicroCell
calling plans, so that should make it a
little easier to bring down the net cost
of the unit since you don't have to
change into another base plan.

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AT&T 3G MicroCell service spotted in Chicago?

So we're in the middle of testing our Sony Ericsson X10 here -- stay tuned for that review, by the way -- and in the course of flipping through the settings, we noticed something strange: it's reporting two 3G MicroCells nearby. Now, to the best of our knowledge, you can't buy a MicroCell in these parts -- sales are still strictly limited to a small handful of test markets -- but it makes you wonder. For what it's worth, SE shipped the phone with a GoPhone SIM, but we're not sure whether that makes a difference. We're looking into the situation and we'll report more as soon as we have it.

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