AT&T Already Using Marketing Muscle in 3G vs. WiMax Fight
As we predicted in a story written last year for InformationWeek, with commercial LTE still a few years away, WiMax’s first, main opponent in the wireless data wars will be 3G. And while doing a little laptop shopping online recently, we noticed that AT&T is already using its deep marketing pockets to make WiMax’s battle an uphill climb before it really even gets started.
Doing a little preliminary shopping on the Lenovo website, we decided to go the “configure” route and see if it made sense to add WiMax connectivity to our next-gen laptop. After getting over the somewhat surprising cost — $80 for an embedded chip? — we then noticed the AT&T 3G promotion just below:
A closer look showed that the 3G connectivity option was a pre-selected choice — how thoughtful of AT&T and Lenovo! There was also a handy link to sign right up for that two-year 3G contract that is completely necessary to qualify for the “great offers” AT&T touts right there on the Lenovo ordering page:
The point of this post isn’t to get into the debate about whether or not WiMax is a better connectivity option than 3G — it’s simply to point out that marketing money may mean more than any technological debate, especially if one company can spend like the Yankees.
