MMS and tethering functional on some AT&T iPhone 3Gs running 3.0?
AT&T's been feeding us a story that it'll offer MMS on the iPhone only “once [it completes] some system upgrades that will ensure our customers have the best experience,” but here's the thing: it seems that it works right now …
Context & Ripple Effects
MMS support for the iPhone 3G had been anticipated since reports of MMS coming to the iPhone 3G in 2008, but AT&T had framed availability as dependent on network-system upgrades. Its June explanation of a late-summer MMS delay and tethering limits made the carrier, rather than the handset software alone, the gating factor.
The reports in this story are unconfirmed, but they matter because apparent functionality on some devices would put AT&T's stated upgrade rationale under closer scrutiny amid confirmed network problems and unavailable 7.2 Mbps HSPA support.
First-order effects
- Some AT&T iPhone 3G owners running OS 3.0 may be able to use MMS or tethering before AT&T formally supports either feature, though the reported access is unconfirmed.
- AT&T faces a sharper gap between its stated need for system upgrades and reports that parts of the functionality may already be reachable.
Second-order effects
- If the reports are reproducible, support requests and customer expectations will move ahead of AT&T's official launch timetable, increasing pressure on the carrier to clarify which network controls remain disabled.
- AT&T's existing network issues make feature activation a capacity-management question as well as a handset-software question, particularly for tethering's additional data use.
Third-order effects
- The episode points to a carrier-controlled smartphone model in which a device's installed capabilities can be constrained by network readiness and operator policy, not just by software releases.
- As smartphones concentrate a disproportionate share of mobile-web use, carrier upgrade schedules and capacity limits are likely to become more visible determinants of feature availability.
The trend: Smartphone features are shifting from handset-defined upgrades to services whose timing is jointly determined by device software and carrier network capacity.