Randall Stephenson Session

AT&T’s Pre Envy

John Paczkowski in D7 on May 27, 2009 at 8:07 pm PT

AT&T is very happy to be the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the states, but it wouldn’t mind selling the Palm Pre too. Asked at the D7 conference today if he might like to add the forthcoming device to AT&T’s handset lineup, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said he would, but Palm’s exclusive deal with Sprint prevents that.

D7 Video: AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson Onstage With Walt Mossberg

Beth Callaghan in D7 on May 27, 2009 at 8:27 am PT

Walt Mossberg jumped into his discussion with Randall Stephenson by citing poll data showing that some folks might not be interested in buying an Apple iPhone because of AT&T. Stephenson notes that AT&T is improving network quality and reducing churn, and in an informal poll of the audience, a surprising number of D7 conference-goers indicate they’re satisfied with AT&T service.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson: “Wireless Is the Priority of This Business”

John Paczkowski in D7 on May 27, 2009 at 8:17 am PT

Randall Stephenson is just two years into his tenure as CEO of AT&T, but faces challenges that have been decades in the making. Among them: remaking AT&T amid the steady decline of its landline business, future-proofing its business as our appetites for bandwidth grow, competing with the likes of Comcast in the cable TV market and fending off the proponents of Net neutrality who don’t care much for the idea of a two-tiered Internet. Beyond this there is the issue of continuing to build out AT&T’s wireless business, which if not iPhone-dependent, is certainly nursing a hell of a habit.