Ever since Verizon started airing the thought provoking ‘There’s a Map for That’ commercial mocking rival AT&T’s inferior 3G coverage in USA, the industry was waiting for response from AT&T. It seems that AT&T has taken the assault quite seriously. It is going to sue Verizon Wireless over the disputed advertisement.
This ad preceded the now famous Verizon Droid ad attacking iPhone that created considerable buzz in the cellular industry. In fact, Verizon is leaving no stone unturned to make its series of Android based Phone successful. Since AT&T provides the network service for iPhone, it has become Verizon’s target. However, AT&T retaliated by filing a lawsuit at Federal court in Atlanta. It said that the Verizon ad is misleading and implies that AT&T’s 3G network has large gaps and areas with no coverage.
The disputed Verizon ad draws a comparison between the two company’s 3G networks used for providing high speed web access to cellular devices. However, AT&T does not challenge Verizon’s claim that it has broader and better coverage. Instead, it complains that the ad may make people believe that the white areas in AT&T’s map have no network at all. The ad is in fact, a parody of ‘There’s an App for That’ ad of Apple.
However, Verizon is not willing to give the allegation much importance. A Verizon spokesperson said that the company is not going to change the map. She also challenged AT&T to come up with a better map.
