AT&T has announced that it’s granting an optimized version of SlingPlayer Mobile [$29.99 - iTunes link] permission to send TV over their 3G network, something that up until now has been expressly banned under AT&T terms of service.
“Just as we’ve worked with Sling Media in this instance, we look forward to collaborating with other developers so that mobile customers can access a wider, more bandwidth-sensitive, and powerful range of applications in the future,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Collaboration with developers like Sling Media ensures that all apps 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. Our focus continues to be on delivering the nation’s most advanced mobile broadband experience and giving our customers the widest possible array of mobile applications.”
The updated SlingPlayer Mobile will be a free update for existing users, and ends a long, winding story of controversy and constraint for US iPhone users. Whether international carriers follow AT&T’s lead and allow the app to operate on their networks as well, of course, remains to be seen.

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