Local iPhone users could soon harvest the full power of the device as AT&T plans to launch 3G service for the Blacksburg area by mid-September.
3G, a third-generation mobile broadband network, optimizes service for smartphones such as the two newest version of Apple's iPhone.
Despite 3G iPhones being available since July 2008, local users have thus far been denied access the technology's fast connection speeds.
That painful era of slow download speeds is finally coming to an end.
AT&T spokesperson Ellen Webner said the company hopes to have service available by the middle of this month. Blacksburg is one of several cities in Virginia that the company is expanding service.
"We have plans to launch 3G in the Blacksburg area and that includes the Virginia Tech campus," Webner said.
She said there is a dramatic upgrade process involved when upgrading from regular service to 3G service.
"It's sort of like putting a video card into a TV set," Webner said. "The data and voice can go through the same channel at much higher speeds."
Video is a major aspect of 3G capability. Phones will be capable of performing a feature called "videoshare" when 3G service is made available.
"Videoshare is the ability to send video and talk at the same time," Webner said. "There's a lot of consumer practicality with that for small business."
Strong college populations in areas such as Charlottesville and Blacksburg have increased demand for 3G service, Webner said. AT&T is also working on an expansion of coverage in the Hampton Roads area.
"We're constantly tweaking the network and evaluating the next area we need to fill in," Webner said.
AT&T has suffered criticism for its lack of support for sending multimedia messages using an iPhone. Currently the target date for MMS messaging is "late summer."
Webner could not give any guaranteed date the 3G service would take effect, but customers may notice the company's trials of the service as the proceed with the upgrades.
"You may in the next several weeks before we launch see the little icon that everyone has become quite familiar with - 3G."