[PCWorld]

Post your comments for AT&T Opens Network here

[rpa52]

GSM by it's very nature is open....same holds true for T-Mobile. This is not a big deal.

[dgreener]

Maybe they've been open but they've lied to their customers about it. I was on the old AT&T wireless and when my phone broke and i called to get it replaced by insurance, they would only replace it with "an old AT&T" phone as my SIM would not work in one of their handsets. It was obvious to me they just wanted me to leave my old contract and get a new cingular contract because I had a north american access plan, which they stopped offering. They lied to me so many times I wanted to puke, so for them to now smugly say they've always been open is just another slap in the face.

[billions]

The telephone monopolies die hard. A laugh that I go to a third world country and make cell phone calls to the US for less than 10c/min when US cell calls to the same country cost a buck a minute. I'm all for the Vonages, Googles, and Skypes, who are changing the game. That said, I've been using unlocked phones and buying SIMM cards from AT&T, Cingular, and the New at&t for several years. That flexability and the ability to switch local SIMM cards into my GSM phones when I'm outside the country has kept me on the at&t network, in spite of sometimes unexpected, excessive, and irritating charges. But those occurred on other major US networks. We really haven't had a lot of choice, other than branding.

[mizuno18]

What people need to understand is while ATT will allow you to purchase and use an unlocked phone they will not send you OTA (Over the Air) updates for advanced data and MMS applications. If de la Vega would help customers in this manner than they would really have an open network. At this point he is not being entirely truthful.

[dgreener]

What you have been doing sound promising. So you open an account with them and you buy a non-contract plan or they just bill you by the minute? I might have to check that out. Thanks for the info.

[rpa52]

I travel overseas all the time so find T-Mobile's prepaid plan the most flexible: $100 for 1000 minutes good for a year. When I am online, I use SkypeOut to make calls as it's rate is even cheaper by the minute. There are ways to beat the phone companies!