Company gears up for iPhone 3G launch

AppleInsider has uncovered a series of internal memos to AT&T employees outlining instructions for the upcoming roll-out of the iPhone 3G. According to these memos, AT&T stores should have extra staff that weekend to manage crowds and facilitate fast, efficient, and friendly activation of the new iPhones as customers buy them. Outside of the stores, AT&T has sent out memos regarding their engineers’ continued work on optimizing their 3G network and a new ad campaign focusing on that networks strength.

“Although we cannot predict the number of customers who will visit our stores the weekend of July 11 – 13, we want to be prepared for crowds,” wrote AT&T vice president and general manager for the New England region in a memo to his employees.

According to that memo, if you are in a New England AT&T shop that weekend, the store should be teeming with employees who will have the crowds in a stanchioned line and will greet you “within 10 feet or 10 seconds.” Other employees will be making sure that customers are getting their iPhone 3Gs in the order in which they arrived and a constant stream of employees will be running the new device from the stockroom to the retail sales consultants for activation.

According to a memo released late last week, AT&T store desktop systems are being updated to include an icon “for the iTunes utility that will be used for unbricking iPhone 3G devices during the activation process.”

AppleInsider obtained another memo detailing AT&T’s network engineers continued efforts to optimize their 3G network. Some specifics covered in the memo are:

- Identify and add radio capacity where needed.
- Provide an extra carrier, enhancing capacity even more with an 850 overlay.
- Performance triggers (for additional resources) designed to go earlier,
- Escalate additional overlay work (2009) for possible 2008 future expansion.
- Address core network; sized to handle additional T1 now and adding capacity as triggers dictate.
- Modify system parameters to maximize resource efficiencies.

Lastly, expect to see a whole flurry of new AT&T advertising focusing on the carrier’s network strength and the exclusivity of devices like the iPhone 3G.