AT&T's Free MicroCell Campaign Is Awesome.

It’s not often that I’ve been known to praise AT&T for anything, but this time I think they deserve some recognition.  The other day, I received an email from AT&T stating that I was eligible for a free MicroCell.  What is a MicroCell you ask?  A MicroCell is essentially mini cell phone tower for your home/business.  It promises up to 5 bars (I have consistently had 5 bars at all times) at all times and so far in my experience it has delivered just that.

It connects via your Internet connection over ethernet and is designed to support up to 4 simultaneous devices at once.  If you were to buy one, the device costs $130.  There’s no additional monthly fee, all phone calls use your existing minutes on your cell phone plan.  The AT&T MicroCell will only work with AT&T 3G phones and can be configured to support specific phones using the phone number associated with that device.

By configuring the device to look for specific phones, when you walk into the house your phone will automatically switch over to using the MicroCell – it’s seamless.  It’s a one-time setup type deal, unless of course, you want to add additional devices later on.  So far since I started using the device in my home, phone call quality has improved on my iPhone.  I can hear people better – they are clearer and more crisp sounding.  Not to mention, I haven’t dropped any calls (at least, the calls which dropped weren’t my fault).

So is there a catch associated with this free MicroCell campaign?  Sort of.  If you accept one of these free MicroCell’s you need to continue your AT&T contract for an additional 12 month (one year) period.  If you terminate your contract then you either have to return the MicroCell or pay for it (in full).  Overall, that’s not a bad deal.  One which I would recommend taking advantage of if it’s offered to you.

Interestingly enough when I went to the store to pick up my free MicroCell, I asked the AT&T representative about how many of these MicroCell’s they have given away for free, the response was one I wasn’t expecting.  The rep said, they have a few people coming in every day to pick up their free MicroCell.  This is a good campaign by AT&T.  This may be the one and (perhaps) only time I ever say this, but, thank you AT&T for caring about your customers.