AT&T temporarily stopped selling the iPhone on its web site for the New York City area during the weekend, reportedly including the Westchester County and northern New Jersey suburbs. The sales blackout appeared to be a further indication of wireless network strains for AT&T, which has hinted at imposing a data surcharge for iPhone users.
As of noon Eastern time Monday, entering a zip code for one of the city’s five boroughs resulted in the message, “We’re sorry, there are no Packages & Deals available at this time. Please check back later.” The iPhone was still being sold in AT&T and Apple retail stores in New York. AT&T resumed web sales later on Monday.
Confusing Explanations
The web blackout was first reported by The Consumerist, which said a consumer support representative named Daphne told it that “New York is not ready for the iPhone.” She added, “You don’t have enough towers to handle the iPhone.”
Other reports had AT&T offering alternate reasons, and even Daphne reportedly changed her story, telling two publications, including The New York Times, that the sales blackout was “due to increased fraudulent activity” in the New York City area.
Meredith Adams, a spokesperson for AT&T, in an e-mail to us said only, “We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels. The iPhone is available in our New York retail stores and those of our partners.”
Competitors, including Verizon Wireless, have been pointing out shortcomings in AT&T’s 3G network, and the company has promised to invest up to $18 billion in its network, including $65 million for new cell towers in San Francisco, Calif., where the network is also strained.
AT&T is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S. and has asked customers to report network problems through a free iPhone app called AT&T Mark the Spot.
The Price of Popularity
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