AT&T has confirmed it will offer the Personal Hotspot functionality starting March 11 with the release of iOS 4.3, but it looks like the functionality will be modified to work only with connections up to 3 devices. By default, Apple’s Personal Hotspot allows up to 5 devices to connect to a single iPhone sharing its 3G connection. A screenshot of an internal AT&T document posted by Engadget in fact suggests the carrier is going to restrict the usage of Personal Hotspot to only 3 incoming connections. According to this here slide, which details a bit of insidery AT&T information about the impending release of iOS 4.3, Ma Bell’s iPhone 4 will have its Personal Hotspot restricted to use with just three devices. Just about every MiFi / mobile hotspot device we’ve ever seen — including Verizon’s iPhone 4 — has supported five WiFi devices, but unless AT&T pulls a 180 here, it’ll be limiting its iPhone to just three connections. The image shared by Engadget doesn’t specify whether or not AT&T is simply following Apple’s implementation of Personal Hotspot, which allows 3 devices to connect using WiFi. It’s not clear from the leaked photo if AT&T didn’t mention the additional Bluetooth and USB connections, or is really enforcing Personal Hotspot on 3 devices simultaneously. Even Apple has posted some details about AT&T’s personal hotspot limitations on iOS 4.3 preview page which says that you can share your connection or tether your device with up to 5 devices at once over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB – with up to three of those connections using Wi-Fi. It is important to note that Personal Hotspot requires a supporting hotspot tethering plan from AT&T. From Apple’s website: You can share your connection with up to five devices at once over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB — with up to three of those connections using Wi-Fi.4 Every connection is password protected and secure. And it’s power friendly, too. iPhone detects when your Personal Hotspot is no longer in use and turns it off to save battery life. On the contrary, Verizon is offering tethering with a Wi-Fi Hotspot, giving Internet access to up to five devices for $20 with a capping of 2GB per month. Stay tuned for more news and info on this topic by following us on Twitter and/or by subscribing to our RSS Feed. Authors:

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