SlingPlayer Mobile App Approved For AT&T's 3G network

Decision means iPhone owners can watch their TV on the go

By Alex Weprin -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/4/2010 5:15:19 PM

AT&T has approved Sling Media's SlingPlayer Mobile application for use on its 3G network. The decision means that iPhone owners that have downloaded the application and use the service can watch their television shows on the go, without the need for a WiFi signal. Apple just needs to approve the upgraded version of the app, which has been in the works since December.

The decision is great for Sling Media, which will have one of the killer applications on the iPhone when it gets approved, and not so great for Apple, which will have a serious competitor to its iTunes store, which is built into the iPhone.

There have been other applications, such as MLB.com's At Bat, which also allowed streaming over 3G. Sling's app lets users watch TV from the iPhone, or view programs recorded on their DVR at home.

"The key for us is Sling Media was willing to work with us to revise the app to make it more bandwidth sensitive," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "They made important changes to more efficiently use 3G network bandwidth and conserve wireless spectrum so that we were able to support the app on our 3G mobile broadband network."