AT&T Prevents 3G Access To SlingPlayer While Secretly Working On A Similar Service

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By Chris Scott Barr

Remember yesterday when I told you that the SlingPlayer app was hitting the App Store? That was all good and well, but quite a few people have been upset to hear that there won’t be any streaming over 3G. AT&T stated that such streaming would cripple their infrastructure and cause major issues for customers, however, that’s not the whole truth.

Many people just like me were skeptical of AT&T’s answer, mostly because there are plenty of other ways to stream video to your iPhone. What makes the SlingPlayer so different? Apparently the issue is that AT&T has been hard at work on their own app that essentially provides the same functions, only using their own U-Verse recorder at home instead of a SlingBox.

So the real issue here is that AT&T is worried that they are going to lose money selling their own application. Since SlingBoxes are already somewhat common among the techie crowd, the only way they can compete is to cripple the competition. You could always build a better application that offered more features, but preventing the competition’s software from accessing your 3G network is probably the easier route.

VIA [ Gizmodo ]

4 COMMENTS

  1. Isn't this exactly the type of behavior that net neutrality would address? I'm all for free market competition, which would entail exactly what you suggest (building a better product, including more desirable features), but those who own the pipes seem content to purposefully handicap competitor's products in order to push their own.

    On the positive side, this somewhat arbitrary decision (arbitrary in that it doesn't affect WinMo, Symbian, or Blackberry devices) forced Sling to back down from its prior position, in which older Sling devices would not be supported on the iPhone. I've delayed upgrading my WinMo device to an iPhone for three features: turn-by-turn directions, Sling software, and A2DP, so this was infuriating as the owner of a perfectly fine Sling Tuner. Now I may have to continue playing wait-and-see, especially with rumors of a WinMo phone with Zune features on the horizon.

    To paraphrase Dire Straits (appropriate name under the circumstances, no?), “I want my Sling 3G!”

  2. Screw AT&T. Screw Apple. Jailbreak, load Tricker ThreeG and fool Slingplayer into thinking it is on WiFi (even though you’re on 3G).

    We shouldn’t have to do this, but that is what it has come to. (Just don’t go over the 5GB limit… damn ATT)

  3. What ever happened to our Free Market? Can't (and shouldn't!) AT&T's actions regarding this matter be considered anti-competitive and thus land them in court?

    Once again, AT&T does a great job at screwing customers… I'll stick to sprint thank you very much!

  4. What ever happened to our Free Market? Can't (and shouldn't!) AT&T's actions regarding this matter be considered anti-competitive and thus land them in court?

    Once again, AT&T does a great job at screwing customers… I'll stick to sprint thank you very much!

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