No Vacation for AT&T for rollout of 3G Iphone

We have a launch window for the 3G iPhone.

Around this time last year, AT&T Mobility sent a memo to employees asking them not to schedule vacations between June 15 and July 15. The company wanted all hands on deck for the launch of the original iPhone. The thing arrived on Friday, June 29, in the dead center of the vacation-free zone.

Well, they’ve done it again. With the 3G iPhone widely expected to be released in June, AT&T (T) sent a similar memo, which has fallen into the hands of The Boy Genius Report. It’s copied below in full. As you can see, the launch window this year seems to be between June 15 and July 12, with a midpoint during the weekend that starts Friday, June 27.

Apple’s (AAPL) Worldwide Developers Conference runs from June 9 to June 13, with a Steve Jobs keynote expected (but not yet scheduled) on the first or second day. Friday June 27 is two days before the anniversary of the launch of the first iPhone. Mark your calendars.

The memo:

AT&T Mobility

Vacation Schedules

To: All Employees

Last year at this time we asked that all vacations be scheduled before June 15 or after July 15, to ensure adequate store staffing and to give everyone an equal opportunity to benefit from an exciting product launch. Thanks to your hard work, we experienced excellent sales during the mid-summer period. This year, the numbers you produced in 2007 will be hard to beat; but as a business, we must rise to the challenge, and make every effort to exceed last year’s sales results. Your management team is counting on you!

We’ll meet the challenge “head-on” by providing an exciting Summer Promotional Launch to enable your sales to soar. We again anticipate heavier than normal customer traffic in our stores, providing an excellent earning opportunity for every front line retail sales consultant (RSC) in company owned retail stores.

To ensure proper staffing during this period, Sales personnel planning to take approved time off are encouraged to schedule their vacations before June 15 or after July 12 to participate in the heavy selling period

Previously approved vacation will be allowed where voluntary rescheduling is not feasible

No additional vacation will be approved for 6/15 – 7/12

If customer traffic is manageable, there may be an opportunity to approve vacation toward the end of the period. Managers will communicate updates as they become available.