Comment by vel0city
4 months ago
3G connectivity was available for several years before the first iPhone launched. I had 3G phones in the US in 2005.
iPhone was late to the 3G game. It was one of the complaints of the original iPhone, that it didn't have 3G despite so many other devices out there already having it.
I don’t remember anyone using mobile broadband though, is it possible the networks weren’t ready for high usage in the earlier years? All people were doing is checking email and BlackBerry messenger texting.
I guess it could also have have just been a superior business strategy to compel ATT to offer unlimited data so that people could freely explore the possibilities without worrying about overage charges.
I used my phone for USB tethering a good bit on the go. I also had a version of Google Maps in 2005ish timeframe on 3G. I would often be able to stream music from internet mp3 and aac streams. I also had Opera Mini in 2005 over 3G internet.
It was only like $15/mo for unlimited data to add to my dumb phone plan. I didn't use the free dumb phone with the plan, I just popped the SIM into other devices.