iLounge

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal regarding the possibility of AT&T’s recent VoIP announcement being a precursor to the launch of tethering support for the iPhone, a comapny spokesperson said that more work was required before the feature could be enabled. “Whenever we offer new features, we want to offer the best possible customer experience. For tethering, we need to do some additional fine tuning to our systems and networks so that we do deliver a great experience,” the spokesman said. Earlier this week, AT&T announced that it would now allow iPhone VoIP applications to use its 3G network. Apple responded by saying it was “very happy” with the announcement, adding that it would be amending its development agreement in order “to get VoIP apps on the App Store and in customers’ hands as soon as possible.” Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T’s Mobility arm, said in November 2008 that tethering support would be coming “soon;” Apple added built-in support for the feature in iPhone OS 3.0, which was released in June, but AT&T has yet to announce an official launch date.