Chicago (IL) – It appears that Apple banned Nullsoft's iPhone tethering application from the App Store with a good reason (or not so good, depending on your view). AT&T Wireless president and CEO Ralph De La Vega told TechCrunch at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco that Apple and AT&T are working together to bring a tethering solution to the iPhone 3G "soon."
De La Vega did not provide any further details, but the official information surely means a lot to users who were unable to use the iPhone as a wireless modem, for example with a laptop, so far.
The carrier seems to be set to ease its broadband restrictions and bring the iPhone in line with other tethering-enabled devices it offers, like BlackBerrys. Pricing for the approved iPhone tethering solution remains a mystery, but if AT&T's existing $60 per month tethering plans are any indication, it won’t be a cheap feature to an already expensive phone/service plan combination.
Of course, there are unofficial tethering solutions available on the market today. For users who are looking for this capability, AT&T will have to walk a fine line between value and extra cost and not shoot itself in the foot with another pricey feature in a crumbling economy. Free tethering solutions are available for jailbroken iPhones.
De La Vega did not provide any further details, but the official information surely means a lot to users who were unable to use the iPhone as a wireless modem, for example with a laptop, so far.
The carrier seems to be set to ease its broadband restrictions and bring the iPhone in line with other tethering-enabled devices it offers, like BlackBerrys. Pricing for the approved iPhone tethering solution remains a mystery, but if AT&T's existing $60 per month tethering plans are any indication, it won’t be a cheap feature to an already expensive phone/service plan combination.
Of course, there are unofficial tethering solutions available on the market today. For users who are looking for this capability, AT&T will have to walk a fine line between value and extra cost and not shoot itself in the foot with another pricey feature in a crumbling economy. Free tethering solutions are available for jailbroken iPhones.