AT&T has taken its legal fight with Verizon Wireless to a new level. The two carriers have been battling over Verizon's advertising about the two companies' 3G coverage, and AT&T has filed an amended complaint in federal court in Atlanta demanding that Verizon pull all of the ads immediately. AT&T contends that Verizon, in a series of commercials, has made misleading claims about AT&T's coverage.
AT&T said that the ads, which compare the two carriers' wireless 3G coverage in the United States, are misleading because viewers might be led to believe that AT&T does not have any coverage in the white spots on AT&T's map. AT&T first filed suit about the issue last week, and since then, Verizon has released more TV commercials that hit on the same theme. One of the ads labels Apple's iPhone, which is exclusively offered through AT&T Mobility, a "Misfit Toy" because of AT&T's 3G coverage.
"We are entering into the critical (holiday) quarter for the industry," when wireless carriers typically sell the most, says AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel. "If customers think they can't make calls in the vast majority of the country...that could do us irreparable harm."
Verizon, for its part, is standing firm about its claims that it has the more robust 3G network. "What we are saying doesn't change," Verizon spokesman Jim Gerace told USA Today.
For more:
- see this USA Today article
Related Articles:
AT&T suing Verizon over 'There's a map for that' ads
'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