Is 3G Micro Cell is still free?

We've been saying this for a long time whenever the free MicroCell question comes up. It is not corporate policy anymore, and hasn't been so for years, to give away the MicroCell. The best you can do, and this is not a guarantee either, is get one at a discount. Every now and then a free MicroCell report pops up but that is certainly an extremely rare, and isolated instance, if it is even true.

So, $75 now for a Mcell?  They use to be $200.  I think AT&T is trying to get rid of as many Mcells as they can before they become worthless due to WiFi-C.  I better sell mine before no one wants them anymore.

Hey Otto!  Have I got a deal for you since you have a collection of Mcells!  Make you a real good deal too!

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@Avedis53 wrote:

Hey Otto!  Have I got a deal for you since you have a collection of Mcells!  Make you a real good deal too!

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Thanks pal! But I get mine free

On an entirely different note, AT&T is starting some test locations in rural areas where they put a transciver on  your roof for fixed wireless LTE using the 20Mhz band (10x10Mhz paired uplink/downlink) for 10-30 Mbps speeds. They are even paying the households $100 per month to test and give feedback. So this should be interesting to see how this will play out over time with WiFi-C and LTE in general.

AT&T does not have, as a corporate policy, to hand out free MicroCells to anyone who wants them. However, given your circumstances, with Hurricane Sandy (which was in 2012), I'm glad that AT&T came thru.

My guess is that AT&T looked up the circumstances in which you were given a MicroCell and did the right thing. The upgrade fee is the discounted cost of a brand new one.

Thanks for the post.

Actually we just moved into a house couple of months ago and it sits in between 2 cell towers each only 1.2 miles away going in SE or west direction plus am within 4 miles of total of 6 towers and once i walk inside i lost cell signal and talked to ATT and not only got the unit free ($150 + tax) but am also able to get a $75 rebate so i think I have don't pretty well you just have to hope toget the right person on the phone that is willing to help you as I did and he also connected me with Mobile Rentention Customer Service to help with the free Micrcell and even with just having it on for less than 24 hrs am very pleased with it

It's not AT&T Corporate policy  to give out MicroCell's for free when requested. But, as we have stated many times, it's not impossible, so it never hurts to ask nicely because  you will get at least a rebate on a new unit (the black, DPH-154 model) and quite possibly, as in your case, a free one altogether.

Perhaps it's the cynic in me that says this but I can't help but think that the possibility of receiving a free Mcell is related to a customer's longitivity with AT&T and the amount of money that is being spent per month by that customer.  Customer Retention is quite aware of your account information, particularly if you've been a long-time customer and are paying a substantial amount per month.

In order to keep that cash flow coming in and retain the desireable customer, I would think a $200 Mcell would be a cheap incentive to retain customers who are paying that much per month in service charges.

I received a free Mcell (a $200 credit on my AT&T account) 4 years ago after complaining of poor service in my area.  At that time, I had been an AT&T customer for over 10 years and had 4 iPhones with an unlimited data and text family plan.  I was paying over $200/month at that time and if giving me what was essentially a one-month credit on my bill would keep me as a customer, I can see why AT&T would do so.  If I had a customer paying me over $2400/year for services and it cost me a small amount of money to keep them happy, I'd sure do it too. 

@Avedis53

I would certainly agree with you. AT&T's reasoning for doing things is sometimes not clear, or as clear as mud. All I know for sure is that it's not public AT&T policy to hand out a free MicroCell to anyone who asks, but it still does happen from time to time for reasons only know to AT&T. As we've said before, it certainly doesn't hurt to try, one may get lucky.

Honestly, I think AT&T will start getting rid of Mcells soon for a reduced price or a credit as they will become obsolete in a couple years.  WiFi-Calling is superior in reliability and call quality to the Mcell IMHO.  My Mcell has been shut off since WiFi-C started up and I've had zero problems with WiFi-C.  Can't say that was my experience with the Mcell.

It is still not official corporate policy to give out MicroCell's for free but that doesn't seem to be enforced by AT&T. If you originally purchased a MicroCell, and AT&T has determined that it is no longer functional, your chances are much better at getting one. If you don't have a MicroCell history with AT&T, chance of them giving you one for free because you don't have good reception at home is a lot less, but still not impossible. AT&T is just not consistent with their policy.

Avedis53 has a good point about AT&T slowly phasing out the MicroCell in favor of WiFi-C but until Google/AT&T get their act together on WiFi-C for Android devices I think you'll see the MicroCell around for quite awhile yet.

When this question comes up I just tell the poster to try. Chances are you will get one for free if you've been a previous customer. At the very least, you will probably get a discount.

Considering the percentage of users that have Android phones, I think AT&T will include them sooner than you think.  Given that the other carriers already provide WiFi-C for many Android phones, it would be foolish for AT&T to ignore Androids for very long.

Besides, there are plenty of Android apps that provide VOIP and SIP calls like GrooVeIP, KakaoTalk and MagicApp (of Magic Jack fame) that one could use if the Mcell doesn't work out for them for whatever reason.  There are some drawbacks for these apps but they are out there and some are free.

Any time a layer of electronic complexity (ie., the Mcell) can be removed from the home network, I can't help but think that reliability will be improved and the Mcell/router/gateway hardware incompatibility issues that we've seen with the Mcell will disappear.

I don't think the phaseout of the Mcell is that far off in the future, IMHO.

What ever the reason is, Google, AT&T doesn't really matter at this point. The fact is that it needs to be done, and supported, by AT&T without having to resort to third party apps.