In a move many expect paves the way for applications on the new iPad, Apple has boosted the maximum size of an iPhone app download over 3G from 10MB to 20MB.
Previously iPhone users who wanted to download an app that was larger than 10 MB, such as a video or podcast, had to switch over to a WiFi connection.
Is this a sign that AT&T feels comfortable with the enhancements it is making to its network? The operator recently allowed place shifting technology developer Sling Media's SlingPlayer Mobile video application across its 3G network, almost a year after restricting the iPhone app to WiFi on the grounds that 3G streaming would consume too much network capacity. It has also given its blessing to VoIP apps over 3G, which were previously relegated to WiFi connections.
"Just as we've worked with Sling Media in this instance, we look forward to collaborating with other developers so that mobile customers can access a wider, more bandwidth-sensitive, and powerful range of applications in the future," AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets president and CEO Ralph de la Vega recently said in a prepared statement. "Collaboration with developers like Sling Media ensures that all apps are optimized for our 3G network to conserve wireless spectrum and reduce the risk that an app will cause such extreme levels of congestion that they disrupt the experience of other wireless customers."
The operator added that its AT&T Developers Program website will provide network optimization requirements for video and other applications by the end of the first quarter.
For more:
- see this PC World article
Related articles:
AT&T finally adds 3G support for SlingPlayer Mobile app
Skype says iPhone 3G VoIP app coming soon
Advocacy group cries foul over iPhone Skype app