AT&T

AT&T and Time Warner discussing possible merger

Senior executives at AT&T and Time Warner met in recent weeks to discuss various business strategies, reports Bloomberg. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the outlet says that the talks are informal at this point, and neither side has hired a financial adviser, but the discussions have included the possibility of a merger.

AT&T unveils modest data upgrades at reduced costs ahead of iPhone 7 release

Conveniently timed weeks ahead of the expected iPhone 7 launch next month, U.S. carrier AT&T on Wednesday unveiled modest data upgrades at reduced prices while dropping overage charges for exceeding monthly cellular data caps. The new data plans, available beginning August 21, include the 1GB/$30, 3GB/$40, 6GB/$60, 10GB/$80, 16GB/$90, 25GB/$110 and 30GB/$135 tiers.

Overage charges will become a thing of the past as the carrier will no longer slap you with a $15 per 1GB charge after using rollover data. Instead, your data speeds will decrease to the sluggish 2G (128 kbps) after all of the cellular data in your monthly bucket has been used up.

Leaked AT&T memo suggests September 23 iPhone 7 retail availability

Credible sources have said that Apple is planning to unveil the next iPhone at a media event scheduled for Wednesday, September 7, with pre-orders beginning on Friday, September 9 ahead of retail availability on the following Friday, September 16. An internal document from AT&T leaked by 9to5Mac, however, now suggests that the handset may actually land on store shelves on Friday, September 23.

Bloomberg: Intel cellular modems will be reserved for AT&T iPhone 7 models

Supply chain whispers recently claimed that a significant portion of LTE cellular modems for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus would be built by Intel instead of Qualcomm and now Bloomberg is reporting that Intel modems will be actually reserved for AT&T iPhone 7 models.

Qualcomm is expected to remain Apple's modem provider for Verizon and China-bound iPhone 7 handsets. Qualcomm's boss had said he expected a major customer to diversify its supplier base.

AT&T carrier update for iOS 9.3 allows for Wi-Fi Calling outside the US

In a text message sent today to its eligible customers, AT&T announced that those who have activated the Wi-Fi Calling feature on their iPhone can now make and receive phone calls from and to the US at no charge when traveling internationally, assuming they have first updated to iOS 9.3 and installed the newly available carrier update.

This marks a small yet important change to how users can benefit from Wi-Fi Calling. Up until now, Wi-Fi calling for AT&T customers restricted them to using the service only from the U.S., Puerto Rico, or U.S. Virgin Islands. But now, it is opened to any country (except for a few exceptions), meaning an AT&T Wi-Fi Calling user can make calls to the US, or receive calls from the US anywhere in the world as long as there is a Wi-Fi connection.

AT&T will give you up to $650 in credit if you switch over to their service

The United States wireless carrier AT&T on Monday launched a new promotion that entices people with up to $650 in credit per line to leave their carrier and switch over to the AT&T service.

You will have to trade in your existing smartphone and port your number over from Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile in order to be eligible for this promotion.

After sending in the final wireless bill from your old carrier, you will then purchase a new phone from AT&T Next and receive a Visa prepaid card with up to $650.

AT&T unveils 5G roadmap, says it’ll be 10-100 times faster than 4G

AT&T on Friday issued a press release detailing its 5G network roadmap. The carrier says it is partnering with Ericsson and Intel to work on 5G solutions in its labs starting in Q2 of this year, and it hopes to be ready for outdoor tests and trials by early summer.

5G speeds are expected to be 10-100 times faster than current 4G LTE connections. AT&T says customers will see speeds measured in gigabits per second, not megabits. For reference, at one gigabit per second, you can download a TV show in less than 3 seconds.

Why I switched back to AT&T after just a week of using Sprint

Just before the new year, I decided to take on Sprint's promotional event of cutting an AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile bill in half. Being with AT&T for more than 6 years, and having always wanted to try another carrier for the heck of it, I was lured in by being able to save a few bucks on my monthly bill.

Their offer to pay my contract breaching fees up to $650 from AT&T just about sealed the deal as well.

Knowing that Sprint didn't have the best service in the world, I was wary, but since I really only use my iPhone for social networking, phone calls, and iMessaging, and wouldn't be doing things like streaming HD videos on the go, I was going to take the plunge anyway and see whether or not Sprint would be a good fit for my needs.

If you too were thinking about Sprint for your next carrier, then read on, because what I'm about to share with you could make or break your decision and save you a ton of time of cancelling agreements and wasting time and money.

AT&T resurrects unlimited data but only for DIRECTV or U-Verse customers

United States carrier AT&T on Monday announced a brand new unlimited data plan since removing that option a few years ago, but there's a catch: you have to be using the carrier's DIRECTV or U-Verse service.

According to the fine print, the new $100 per month plan is limited to smartphones. But what about those who'd like to take advantage of it on an iPad?

Well, they'll have to pay an additional $40 per month to add a tablet device or another smartphone to the plan, or fork an additional $10 to add a smartwatch to the service.

Some AT&T customers can now make VoLTE calls to people on other carrier networks

United States carrier AT&T said yesterday that some of its customers in select areas can now make Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) calls to users on other carrier networks. Cross-network VoLTE calls are currently supported for just one unnamed carrier, but AT&T will eventually implement support for multiple carriers.

Unlike traditional calls that use a carrier's voice network (which is separate from a 3G/4G data network), VoLTE calls use a 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, resulting in crisp sound quality and optimized bandwidth use.

AT&T to stop offering two-year phone contracts next month

AT&T plans to stop offering two-year phone contracts next month, reports Engadget. The outlet on Wednesday published an internal document that says the carrier will launch a "pricing simplification effort" on January 8 that will effectively get rid of contracts.

According to the document, starting on the 8th, AT&T Next and full-retail will become the only purchase options for smartphones. Folks looking to buy a flip, or "basic," phone from the carrier will also have to choose between paying full-retail or an installment plan.