AT&T

Fans of other wireless carriers can rejoice. The end is near for AT&T's exclusive deal with Apple to offer the iPhone in the US. Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall claims the expiration date is June 2010.

AT&T is said to be in negotiations to extend the deal through 2011. The iPhone deal could be of even greater importance to the carrier since Verizon will have LTE (4G) technology up and running in 20-30 markets in 2010.

Eight second ping times? If you don't know what that means, just think "real slow." A normal ping time over the 3G network should be around 200 milliseconds (that's 40 times faster than eight seconds).

Why do some connections initiate right away while others take eight seconds or longer? Telecom blogger Brough Turner has researched the problem and explained that AT&T's network configuration could be to blame.

AT&T has reported their best and biggest quarter of iPhone activations to date, with 3.2 million iPhones activated in the third quarter of 2009. Shares of AT&T jumped following the initial release of the news, but have since declined, despite AT&T reporting better-than-expected per share earnings.

AT&T has wagered heavily on its relationship with Apple and the iPhone, and it has paid off. Many analysts site the iPhone as the single biggest reason for the telecom giant's continued strength in a down turned economy.

How about making iPhone calls on your own personal cell tower? AT&T has test launched its femtocell solution for individual users, dubbed the MicroCell. This device is compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

MicroCell data speeds will be slower than the 7.2 Mbps the iPhone 3GS is capable of delivering, however they will achieve 3.2 Mbps, matching standard 3G speeds. The device allows users to make calls and send text messages using a 5,000 square foot local 3G network.