AT&T to begin Nationwide Rollout of 3G MicroCell Starting Mid-April

AT&T recently announced that next month it will begin a nationwide rollout of its 3G MicroCell service, which it had started trials for back in September last year. The 3G MicroCell service will allow wireless subscribers to utilize their home Internet connection for enhanced voice and data coverage. Providing a small but substantial cell signal upon connection to your network, the 3G MicroCell should help reduce dropped calls around the house - a problem far too common for AT&T.

Here is AT&T’s explanation of the 3G MicroCell service:

"AT&T 3G MicroCell acts like a mini cellular tower in your home or small business environment. It connects to AT&T's network via your existing broadband internet service (such as DSL or cable) and is designed to support up to 10 3G capable wireless phones in a home or small business setting. With AT&T 3G MicroCell, you receive improved cellular signal performance for both voice calls and cellular data applications, like picture messaging and surfing the web for up to 4 simultaneous users."

The service will cost up to $19.99 per month for unlimited minutes. In addition to the monthly cost, the 3G MicroCell device will cost $150. Selecting a plan at purchase will get you a $100 mail-in rebate, dropping the long-term price of the unit to $50.

AT&T is the last of the big 4 U.S. carriers to offer such a device to its customers.

Here is a comparison of what it costs with other carriers:

• Sprint's Airave costs $4.99 a month while the base station costs $99.99. Unlimited use is $10 a month.
• Verizon charges nothing once you buy the Network Extender for $249, though there's no unlimited calling option available.
• T-Mobile offers unlimited calling through its Wi-Fi-based HotSpot@Home service for $9.99 a month.

The 3G MicroCell has been teased for national rollout since the device was first beta tested in Charlotte, North Carolina last fall. Just last month, AT&T combined Georgia, South Carolina, San Diego and Las Vegas into the trial zones. Since all have gone well to date, AT&T is confident enough to introduce the device nationally in roughly about three weeks.

The service will be quite useful if you’ve poor 3G coverage at home or office but the question is why should users be paying AT&T for MicroCell to improve their service, which they’re already paying for and in some ways helping them, by decreasing traffic on their cellular network.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.