AT&T CEO unveils Video Share, hypes iPhone

CHICAGO-AT&T Inc. is launching its Video Share offering in three markets, and plans to roll the service out more broadly starting next month, CEO and Chairman Randall Stephenson announced at the NXTcomm trade conference this morning.
Stephenson, speaking during the show’s opening keynote, said the initial launch markets are Dallas; AT&T Mobility’s hometown of Atlanta; and the corporation’s headquarters in San Antonio. Stephenson added that the service would be turned on next month in 160 additional markets as it expands to the rest of AT&T Mobility’s W-CDMA/HSDPA network footprint-and that the service wouldn’t be a wireless-only feature for long.
“Expect us to quickly reach the other two screens,” Stephenson said: the television and the personal computer screens, that is.
A promotional video for the Video Share service emphasized the product’s ability to connect friends and family members via live video sharing. Video Share allows a one-way live video feed as well as a concurrent voice conversation, and the users can switch the direction of the video feed. The service requires both users to have Video Share-enabled, 3G handsets, and customers will be able to choose from two service packages: $5 per month for 25 minutes of use or $10 per month for 60 minutes. The company also is offering an a la carte option, in which users will pay 35 cents per minute of Video Share usage.
Stephenson also took the opportunity to talk up the highly anticipated iPhone as an example of AT&T’s commitment to a strategy of wireless-centric innovation. He noted that the device will work both on AT&T Mobility’s EDGE and Wi-Fi networks. In gearing up for the imminent launch of the iPhone, Stephenson said AT&T is “hiring and training hundreds of employees to handle the rush” as well as working to ensure that the “best network experience is available from day one.”