Looks like AT&T isn't the only carrier than can't handle the iPhone and its data hungry users. Since UK based, O2, got the iPhone, their network has slowly started to see issues. Customers have been experiencing dropped calls, the inability to make calls, and weak data connections.
According to Financial Times, Ronan Dunne, the head of O2, has publicly apologized to customers for the network's shortcomings. He says that he, himself, has been disappointed with the network performance since the summer. He goes on to say that the company is making progress towards fixing the underlying issues, but wants it to be known that the issue is not widespread, and is mostly confined to London. To rectify the issue, O2 is in the process of installing 200 additional base stations, as well as working with Nokia Siemens, their infrastructure supplier, to ensure that the network can better manage voice and data traffic without crumbling under the weight of data heavy smartphones.
This whole situation begs the question of who's to blame. Now that we see both AT&T and O2 having issues with the iPhone, is carrier neglect the reason for all these network problems, or is the iPhone just a problem causing device? It's interesting to note that Vodaphone is taking the "Verizon stance," claiming that their network would cope much better with the smartphone boom. Regardless, O2 is putting in the effort to rectify the situation; they deny nothing, and realize that they need to fix the problem to better serve their customers. Hopefully AT&T will follow suit.
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