Verizon Wireless is being sued by AT&T for their new “There’s a Map for That” commercial, which parodies Apple Computer’s “There’s an Ap for That” campaign for its iPhone.

The ad shows a Verizon customer and an AT&T customer walking around with translucent United States maps floating over their heads to illustrate the two carriers’ 3G networks.

The Verizon map, with coverage indicated in bright red, shows a mostly-red country. The AT&T map, with coverage indicated in bright blue, shows a mostly-gray country with sparse amounts of blue.

Looking at the map, you’d assume that there’s virtually no AT&T 3G coverage.  When I’ve tried to get close to the screen to see how my state is represented, it looks like there’s almost no coverage represented, although my iPhone does have 3G coverage with no problem here in Charleston.

Prior to switching over to the iPhone (and AT&T), I had some spotty reception issues from Verizon.  The only place I could count on spotty reception for the iPhone was at work, until a booster antenna was installed at our building.

AT&T claims the spot is causing it to lose “incalculable market share” and “invaluable goodwill.”

Oddly enough, AT&T doesn’t seem to be arguing that the ad is wrong, so much as misleading. A spokesman claims that Verizon is painting a misleading picture by suggesting that there is no coverage at all in areas where there is 2G, but not 3G coverage available. The “white space” on a coverage map, AT&T says, is an “industry convention” that conveys “no coverage.”

I’d have to give them that. Walk in any cellular store and find a map where white space doesn’t mean “no coverage.”