The new service works only on the company's 3G, or third-generation, wireless network and requires a Video Share-capable phone. It will not be available on Apple's new iPhone, which will be available through AT&T staring June 29. Two Video Share service packs will be available for $4.99 and $9.99 a month. Without a plan, the service costs 35 cents a minute.
The Video Share service could expand rapidly beyond wireless-to-wireless, Randall Stephenson, AT&T's new chairman and CEO, told an industry trade show in Chicago.
"You should expect this to quickly reach the other two screens, and that's the PC and the television," he said at the NXTcomm conference. "Imagine watching television when a notice pops on the screen that a daughter or granddaughter would like to initiate a Video Share call, then immediately switching the television screen to accept the video and audio. With our powerful IP-based network and flexible IMS platform, these scenarios will eventually be reality."
Stephenson also said that the migration from fixed service to wireless is accelerating.
AT&T hopes to benefit from that migration with the June 29 rollout of the iPhone. Stephenson said the company is "gearing up for this big-time," adding hundreds of new staff members at its 1,800 retail stores for the expected rush. More than 1 million people have signed up for more information about the iPhone, Stephenson said, and nearly 40 percent of them are not currently AT&T Wireless customers.
"I really believe this is going to be a game-changer, not only for us but for the industry at large," he said.
For more information, visit the AT&T VideoShare website.