AT&T rolled out an improved iPhone mobile video services option, the U-verse Mobile App, that enables customers to download and watch popular TV content on their iPhones.
Unlike competing offerings, AT&T's U-verse service conforms to the results of a Stratecast consumer preference survey that shows consumers define their communication value perception primarily within the constraints of price, features and integration.
While mobile video services have been available for some time, most offerings are expensive. When the cost of the additional data usage is factored in, it provides relatively limited functionality and virtually no integration with fixed communication offerings.
AT&T has addressed previous mobile video deficiencies by integrating the mobile device into the overall AT&T U-verse video service package.
Through this iPhone application, consumers can not only control their home DVRs and access their U-verse programming directories, they can download content for consumption on the go.
Although the download feature is enabled over Wi-Fi, this approach avoids two complaints generally associated with mobile video services: QoS and the high cost of data.
Using a Wi-Fi connection, content can be downloaded for review without exceeding data volume limitations.
In addition, while mobile viewing is typically fraught with the dreaded disconnects that can occur when one cell site hands the connection off to another, content download avoids this and enables a higher quality picture as well.