A month after Apple released [1] its iPhone 3G S, the first iPhone device to offer MMS and data tethering features, U.S. operator partner AT&T has yet to introduce either service to its subscribers. Originally expected to arrive later this summer, MMS and data tethering are on hold until September according to AppModo, citing an "undisclosed reputable AT&T employee"--in addition, once data tethering is available, the operator will charge an additional $55 for the service on top of its existing iPhone data plans, although MMS will be included with subscribers' current messaging rates.
AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega said [2] in November 2008 that an official iPhone tethering option would be announced "soon." According to Boy Genius Report [3], AT&T must manually remove all the "Opt Out MMS" codes on each iPhone account before the messaging service can launch.
For more on the AT&T delay:
- read this AppModo article [4]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/no-iphone-3g-s-mms-or-data-tethering-t/2009-06-09
[2] http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/mms-data-tethering-rumored-iphone-3-0-update/2009-03-13
[3] http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/06/08/the-reason-why-att-wont-support-mms-with-the-iphone-until-late-summer/
[4] http://appmodo.com/1432/apple-iphone-mms-delayed-coming-sept-tethering-55-extra/