AT&T is suing Verizon Wireless over information it is calling misleading. Ain’t nothing new here.

I have lost count of the number of times carriers and vendors have sued one another over advertising campaigns. I am not saying AT&T does not have a case. I am not saying Verizon Wireless has made misleading statements. I hate to say this, but these types of suits between carriers are not new.

There are two challenges in this case. AT&T Mobility has to prove the so-called holes are not holes. Verizon Wireless has to prove the so-called holes exist. This is not a case of “you are innocent until proven guilty”. I have not seen the complaint, but if it is like any other complaint then the devil will be in the details of both the complaint and the actual advertising itself.

I am not a lawyer, but if I am correct, both parties are going to have to prove their cases.

Like many civil litigations this will be contentious. However, the case will also prove to be a lesson in how to conduct a marketing campaign or not how to conduct a marketing campaign.

I don’t blame AT&T for being upset, if half of what Verizon Wireless has said is true, then Verizon just leaked the one thing carriers hate having revealed – their true coverage map. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out a competitor’s coverage map; it simply costs money, which many companies don’t have to spend. Now use your imagination – If you were another carrier what would you with this coverage information? Target market those areas where AT&T Mobility is coverage weak. Pile on the competitive advertising against AT&T Mobility?

Wow, my head is spinning with what you can do with this information.

A few questions and thoughts come to mind. Let us not forget that everything is subject to interpretation. I call it 3G you call it 2.5G. What is 4G to me is 3G to you. Get it? There is coverage. How much coverage? It’s not quality coverage. How do you measure quality?

I am not judging either Verizon Wireless or AT&T in this discussion. I am just saying Wow.