AT&T has cried foul on Verizon Wireless for an ad that mocks AT&T's spotty 3G coverage, taking the case to a federal court.
A lawsuit has been filed with the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Georgia, claiming that Verizon's "There's a Map for That" ads falsely suggest that there are gaps in AT&T's wireless coverage. AT&T's not disputing the validity of the maps -- Verizon really does have superior 3G coverage -- but says the use of white space in areas with slower connections lead customers to think there's no coverage at all.
AT&T told Computerworld that the carrier conducted research with customers, finding that "a significant number" of people thought the ads meant there was no cellular service in the white spaces. Verizon maintains that the ads are accurate and clearly state that the maps refer to 3G coverage. You can check out the ad and be the judge, but the words "3G Coverage" do appear in large text above Verizon's and AT&T's respective maps.
As always, I'll disclaim that I'm no judge, but I think AT&T is reaching here. The commercial has nothing to do with routine phone calls, but instead talks about watching videos at 3G speeds and shows a user playing online games. These are uses where an EDGE connection is often inadequate, and Verizon is within its right to show where AT&T lacks that coverage. People may misread the commercial, but at no point does Verizon imply that it's referring to anything but 3G coverage. And I'm not sure the courts can rule that a color must be interpreted a certain way.
Also, AT&T has previously complained about Verizon to the Better Business Bureau, saying that the company's "most reliable 3G network" slogan is misleading because connection speed factors into reliability, and AT&T's network is faster. All of this just seems like sour grapes from a company that's losing a PR battle.
I'd say that AT&T should be investing in its network instead of lawsuits, but the company is spending $18 billion on infrastructure this year. Perhaps the company should advertise those improvements instead of trying to silence the competition.
