AT&T has stopped selling the iPhone on its web site for the New York City area, reportedly including the Westchester County and northern New Jersey suburbs. The sales blackout appears to be a further indication of wireless network strains for AT&T, which has hinted at imposing a info surcharge for iPhone users.

As of noon Eastern duration Monday, entering a zip cipher for one of the city’s five boroughs resulted in the letter, “We’re sorry, there are no Packages & Deals available at that day. Please check back later.” The iPhone was still being sold in AT&T and Apple retail stores in New York.

Confusing Explanations

The web blackout was first reported by The Consumerist, which said a consumer support representative named Daphne told it that “New York is not ready for the iPhone.” She added, “You don’t have adequate towers to handle the iPhone.”

Other reports had AT&T offering alternate reasons, and even Daphne reportedly changed

her story, telling two publications, including The New York Times, that the sales blackout was “due to increased bogus activity” in the New York City area.

Meredith Adams, a spokesperson for AT&T, in an e-mail to us said only, “We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels. The iPhone is available in our New York retail stores and those of our partners.”

Competitors, including Verizon Wireless, have been pointing out shortcomings in AT&T’s 3G network, and the company has promised to invest up to $18 billion in its network, including $65 million for new cell towers in San Francisco, Calif., where the network is additionally strained.

AT&T is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S. and has asked customers to report network problems through a free iPhone app called AT&T Mark the Spot.

The Price of Popularity

As we reported Thursday, the iPhone 3G was the restricted top-selling mobile…

Original post by dhiram