AT&T allows new Slingbox app on network

AT&T said it will allow a revised Slingbox application to operate on its 3G  wireless network, changing its previous decision not to approve an earlier version of Slingbox's app because it used too much bandwidth.

The application, which debuted for the iPhone with much fanfare last year, allows users to stream video from their home TVs to their phones. But that version was only approved for use while connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot because AT&T feared all the video streaming would overload its wireless network.

Consumers balked at AT&T's decision and cited it as a reason net neutrality rules are needed to prevent wireless companies from keeping certain applications off their networks.

A few months later, Sling Media, the maker of Slingbox, approached AT&T about revamping the app to be less bandwidth heavy. Slingbox came up with an app that doesn't weigh down the network. AT&T has been testing the new app since December and today officially approved it for use on its wireless network.

AT&T now says it will collaborate with other developers to make sure applications "are optimized for our 3G network to conserve wireless spectrum and reduce the risk that an app will cause such extreme levels of congestion that they disrupt the experience of other wireless customers," said AT&T mobility chief Ralph de la Vega.

The company said it will soon post "optimization principles" for video and other applications on its web site.