Failure To Communicate

I have pretty bad luck when it comes to wireless cell phone service. I was covering a conference call on July 9 but was out of the office, so I had to call in with my iPhone.

The iPhone is offered exclusively through AT&T, a cause of some controversy and consumer concern given problems with the company's coverage and service. After I dialed in and was patched through to the conference, my call was promptly dropped. Twice.

In both instances, I missed a few minutes--which may have contained important information, I can't be sure--while I repeated my name and affiliation and waited to be reconnected to the conference.

The irony? This particular executive call center is managed by AT&T.