AT&T Expands MicroCell Trial To Five Regions

AT&T has finally expanded its MicroCell service trial beyond Charlotte, NC. Unfortunately, they chose not to expand the trial to San Francisco or New York City, two ares of the country well-known to be sagging under the weight of the iPhone.

The trial has been expanded to "select counties" in the following states and metropolitan areas:

• Georgia
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• San Diego
• Las Vegas

To determine if you are actually eligible for the program, you have to enter your zip code, as well. In the Charlotte test, the MicroCell was running $150 with no monthly fees. It covers a 5,000 square foot area and can handle up to four users simultaneously.

AT&T's MicroCell is actually a femtocell. Femtocells can be thought of as cellular base stations, that connect to the service provider’s network via broadband (such as DSL or cable).

While it is true that there are some areas of the country that simply will never be covered effectively, it's a little disconcerting for users who live in areas that should have decent coverage (such as, in the future, New York City and San Francisco) to have to pay to supplement AT&T's overloaded network.