After reports of terribly slow upload speeds from iPhone 4 users, AT&T has pointed the blame towards Alcatel- Lucent, the supplier of 3G wireless equipment.

The software defect affects the upload speeds of devices using the newest version of 3G technology known as High Speed Upload Packet Access or HSUPA for short.HSUPA has been put in place to achieve upload speeds to between 500 kilobits per second and 1.2 megabits per second.The iPhone 4 and some laptop data sticks are currently the only AT&T devices that uses this technology, which is why this problem affects only a small amount of customers.A temporary fix has been put in place to restore regular 3G speeds of 384 kilobits per second maximum until this problem can be resolved.

AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent jointly identified a software defect – triggered under certain conditions – that impacted uplink performance for Laptop Connect and smartphone customers using 3G HSUPA-capable wireless devices in markets with Alcatel-Lucent equipment. This impacts less than two percent of our wireless customer base. While Alcatel-Lucent develops the appropriate software fix, we are providing normal 3G uplink speeds and consistent performance for affected customers with HSUPA-capable devices.

Alcatel – Lucent gear is not use all across AT&T network, which is why this problem only occurs in select regions of the country, such as, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Salt Lake City, and Seattle

There have been no reports of when this problem will be fixed.