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AT&T suing Verizon over 'There's a map for that' ads
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Let the ad wars continue.
AT&T sued Verizon Wireless, claiming Verizon's latest campaign targeting AT&T's 3G coverage is misleading. AT&T is seeking a cease and desist order through a federal court in Georgia, and said the ads are causing it to lose "incalculable market share."
Last month, Verizon began widely pushing an ad campaign, "There's a map for that," that was a swipe at Apple's "There's an app for that" spots touting the iPhone, which AT&T Mobility exclusively offers. AT&T claims the ads don't accurately represent AT&T's coverage. The ads show maps of the two companies' 3G wireless coverage, and AT&T claims that the blank spots on the map for AT&T in the ads mislead viewers into thinking that AT&T has no service in those areas.
"By communicating that AT&T customers have no coverage in large parts of the country, Verizon is misleading the public about an essential component of the services AT&T offers," the lawsuit said. AT&T argues in the lawsuit that customers can "fully use their wireless devices outside of a '3G' coverage area and undisputedly have coverage in areas depicted by white or blank spaces on the maps used in Verizon's advertisements."
A Verizon spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The "map" ads from Verizon are just a part of the No. 1 carrier's ad blitz. The company in recent weeks launched a related campaign for its Android-based Droid phone from Motorola that stabs directly at the capabilities of Apple's iPhone.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that the nation's top two carriers have tussled over advertisements. In July, Verizon asked a U.S. judge to determine whether its "America's Most Reliable 3G Network" ads are truthful, a claim AT&T said was misleading.
For more:
- see this WSJ article (sub. req.)
- see this Reuters article
Related Articles:
'There's a map for that' - Verizon ad challenges AT&T
Verizon seeking judgment on 'Most Reliable' ad claims
Verizon takes swipe at iPhone, begins marketing Droid
Comments
Posted by 15 | November 3, 2009 - 5:42pm
This is a frivolous lawsuit, the Commercial is clear about the fact it is comparing and Showing 3g coverage only, it says nothing about AT&T's (truthfully spotty) service area as a whole, nor does it mention or insinuate the coverage of AT&T's EDGE (comparable to Verizon's 1XT) coverage or voice coverage. This Suit is just to get people to ignore the commercials and it should not make it to court.
Posted by Deadcellzones.com | November 3, 2009 - 5:53pm
We have a map for both of them. I am happy to testify and there is a map for that. http://deadcellzones.com
Posted by Micah Touchet | November 3, 2009 - 6:37pm
I am an AT&T customer, and I love the Verizon ads... This is absolutely a frivolous lawsuit. Grow up, AT&T... and get better 3G coverage while you're at it.
Posted by Anonymous | November 3, 2009 - 8:49pm
See not only are they trying to steal all of Americas cellular customers now they are trying to sue each other to get to the top. It never stops between Verizon and AT&T. You can thank their customers for this...Duopoly will soon come to the U.S.....
Posted by Anonymous | November 3, 2009 - 11:00pm
You can't compare AT&T and Verizon 3G because they are of much different technologies and speeds. What AT&T calls "3G" is more like 3.5G and what Verizon counts as "3G" is more like 2.5G-3G. If you counted AT&T 2.5G coverage, it would look very similar to VZW's "map for that ad".
Also, verizon takes into account their roaming partners, where AT&T doesn't.
Thats is why these ads are misleading.
Posted by Anonymous | November 3, 2009 - 11:18pm
Both AT&T and VZW are just crying like little babies. I am sick of it. Why don't they compete on their merits?
Posted by Anonymous | November 4, 2009 - 12:54pm
If they just focused on these "3Gs" (Great Customer Service, Great Products and Great Value)they wouldn't need to do nearly as much advertising.
Posted by Srihari | November 4, 2009 - 1:03pm
Okay, I am not getting this. If Verizon asks a judge to question "America's Most Reliable 3G Network" then it means AT&T claims this, right (which is true)?
Why would AT&T call it's own claims misleading then? Or for that matter why would Verizon ask a judge to ascertain it's own claims?
Look at your last sentence:
"In July, Verizon asked a U.S. judge to determine whether its "America's Most Reliable 3G Network" ads are truthful, a claim AT&T said was misleading."
I was wondering if I needed another cup of coffee. Maybe you need one?
Posted by Fred stein | November 4, 2009 - 1:47pm
AT&T needs to focus on:
Better coverage in their primary markets. They DO NOT deliver as promised.
Better customer support. Reduce wait time. Do not drop customer calls. Do not lose all customer provided info when handing off to another support person.
Posted by Anonymous | November 5, 2009 - 1:22am
You are definitley not an engineer and if you are you know nothing about the wireless industry.
In the CDMA trend for wireless, there is no 2.5G.Verizon uses CDMA 2000 and 3G is bascially 3G.
AT&T uses UMTS an evolaution of GSM.Their 3G ain't that good bro and the actual speeds is far less than the theoretical speed. We live in a practical world.
Bottom line, Verizon has the largest and most reliable 3G network!!!
Posted by Anonymous | November 7, 2009 - 2:20pm
I work for AT&T, but I'm a Verizon customer. That should tell you alot. Possibly 3 dropped calls in the last year. Been with them for 10.
Posted by Anonymous | November 12, 2009 - 2:36pm
To say that Verizon takes into account the roaming partners and at&t does not, is absolutely ridiculous. The map coverage shown in the ads was surveyed independantly from an outside company, which both at&t and Verizon have used before. The playing field is completely level. It is not Verizon's fault that at&t's 3G coverage is so spotty that they do not even PRODUCE their own 3G map for their customers!
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