AT&T

Starting Friday, LTE-hungry tablet buyers will be able to swoop in on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tablet from AT&T.

With a new two-year service agreement, the 1.6GHz quad-core Android Jelly Bean device sells for $399.99, not including the monthly data connection.

That's a fairly steep price for those on the fence about choosing a smaller slate over a larger one, which is presumably why AT&T will kick off sales with a $199.99 sticker price when you also buy a new smartphone.

Catch all the pros, cons, and even more in CNET'… Read more

AT&T has been crowned the leading mobile network provider in a new study from PC Magazine.

The news outlet on Monday posted the results of its mobile network research to determine which company -- AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon -- had the fastest speeds in the United States. PC Magazine, which analyzed results across 30 cities, found that AT&T had the top 4G LTE network with average download speeds of 16.7 megabits per second and average upload speeds exceeding 7.4 megabits per second.

Although Verizon and AT&T are considered the … Read more

Telefonica is throwing cold water on a report that AT&T made an offer to acquire it.

In a statement released Monday, the Spanish telecommunications giant said that "in relation to press rumors published today, Telefonica states that it has not received any approach, nor any indication of interest, neither verbal nor in written form, from any party."

Telefonica was responding to a story published Monday by Spanish newspaper El Mundo saying that AT&T had initiated a tender offer to acquire the company to the tune of 70,000 million euros ($93 billion) and take … Read more

AT&T announced that it is rolling out wireless emergency alerts to all of its U.S. customers that have an iPhone 5 or 4S.

This means that anytime there is a government-issued safety announcement, like when there's natural or man-made disaster, a presidential alert, or an Amber alert for a missing child, a message will pop up on users iPhones explaining what's happening.

Such alerts are critical for getting information out to people who aren't immediately tuned into a television or radio, and would have been helpful during disasters such as the floods from Hurricane … Read more

The National Security Agency has acknowledged in a new classified briefing that it does not need court authorization to listen to domestic phone calls, a participant said.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, disclosed on Thursday that during a secret briefing to members of Congress, he was told that the contents of a phone call could be accessed "simply based on an analyst deciding that."

If the NSA wants "to listen to the phone," an analyst's decision is sufficient, without any other legal authorization required, Nadler said he learned. "I was rather startled,&… Read more

AT&T has a new set of options for its prepaid customers.

The Dallas telecommunications company introduced three tiers of prepaid plans, replacing an older set of plans it had deemed too complicated. Starting June 21, prepaid users with a compatible phone also can jump on the faster 4G LTE network.

The most expensive plan is $60 a month, and includes unlimited calling and text messages and 2 gigabytes of data. Additional data is $10 for each 1GB. It's a better deal than the previous $65 plan, which only included 1GB of data.

There's a $40 monthly … Read more

When Internet companies were recently accused of allowing the National Security Agency direct access to their servers, they strenuously denied it. But when AT&T was accused of allowing the NSA direct access to its network, it did the opposite.

Mark Klein, who worked as an AT&T technician for over 22 years, disclosed in 2006 (PDF) that he met with NSA officials and witnessed domestic Internet traffic being "diverted" through a "splitter cabinet" to secure room 641A in one of the company's San Francisco facilities. Only NSA-cleared technicians were allowed to work … Read more

AT&T announced on Wednesday that the LTE-capable Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 will join the carrier's roster in "the coming weeks" as an AT&T exclusive.

First unveiled at Mobile World Congress, the Note 8.0 runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and features a 1.6GHz quad-core processor. Additional details include a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 16GB of internal memory, and a microSD slot for cards up to 32GB. It's got a 4,600mAh battery inside.

The Galaxy Note 8.0 features an integrated S Pen digital stylus … Read more

AT&T has unveiled an iOS app that turns the iPhone into a walkie-talkie for the business world.

Known as Enhanced Push-to-Talk (Enhanced PTT), the new app brings two-radio features to the iPhone 5 and 4S. With PTT, mobile users can talk to one person via a private call or a large number of people though a group call. And like a walkie-talkie, a phone equipped with the app can switch between talk and listen mode with the touch of a button.

The app supports up to 250 people, gearing it for certain types of workplaces and first responders, … Read more