AT&T fixes iPhone activation problems

AT&T said on Monday that delays in activating service for customers of Apple's iPhone had been mostly resolved after the wireless company worked out the problems on a case-by-case basis.

A small number of those who bought iPhones since they went on sale on Friday faced delays in activation with AT&T, the exclusive US service provider for the widely anticipated mobile phone, according to a source familiar with the matter.

By Monday, those issues were mostly resolved, AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said.

"We have resolved nearly all of the issues and we feel confident this is behind us now," Siegel said. "One by one, we worked to resolve [the problems], and now nearly all of them have been resolved."

Activation delays stemmed from large customer volumes and problems with customers trying to transfer corporate mobile phone accounts to personal iPhone service accounts, AT&T said on Sunday.

AT&T said iPhone sales for the weekend were the strongest of any device in the company's history.

"We've sold more iPhones in the first weekend than we've sold in the first month of any other wireless device in AT&T's history," Siegel said.

Bill Shope, who covers Apple for JP Morgan, estimated in a research note that 312,000 iPhones were purchased on Friday and Saturday.

Other strong selling phones at AT&T have included the Motorola Razr, which helped boost sales at both companies for years. AT&T was the first provider to sell the Razr when it went on the market in late 2004.

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