IP: Voicestream intros 2.5G Services

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> From: jspira () basex com
>
>
> Dave, this is a very significant rollout.  The dominant GSM carrier in the 
> U.S. introduces GPRS.
>
> Best.
> /s/ Jonathan
>
> Jonathan B. Spira
> Chairman and Chief Analyst
> Basex. What's in IT for you (tm).
> Phone: +1 212 760-1555 x113
> E-mail: jspira () basex com
> Web: http://www.basex.com
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>
>
>
> VoiceStream Extends GET MORE Value proposition to offer
> High-Speed Wireless Data Service to Customers Nationwide
>
> Just in time for the Holidays, VoiceStream Retailers stock up on 
> Affordable Internet
> phones to provide Instant Access to Information on the Go
>
> Bellevue, WA (Novemeber 14, 2001) - The mobile Internet becomes more 
> accessible and affordable today as VoiceStream Wireless offers high-speed 
> wireless data services to customers across the country. The iStream 
> wireless data network from VoiceStream offers customers the fastest, 
> easiest and most affordable option to send corporate and Internet e-mail 
> wirelessly or access the Internet on their laptop or compatible Pocket PC.
>
> Just in time for holiday gift giving, VoiceStream's affordable data 
> services with an affordable Internet ready phone allow users to access 
> personalized content and popular services like AOL® E-mail and AOL Instant 
> Messenger (AIMsm).
>
> iStream service can be added starting at just $2.99 a month and the 
> Motorola® T193 Internet capable handset is available at VoiceStream stores 
> and online at voicestream.com for $49.99 post-rebate through January, and 
> includes a $25 gift certificate to use at the Shop@AOL online store. 
> Authorized VoiceStream retailers will also sell the phone.
>
> "VoiceStream's wireless data service combines mobility with Internet 
> functionality to give customers compelling, high-speed features and 
> services at prices consistent with VoiceStream's GET MORE promise," said 
> Cole Brodman, VoiceStream's senior vice president of Product Management. 
> "Whether you're a business customer needing secure, corporate network 
> access through a VPN or a college student wanting access to AOL mail on 
> the go, VoiceStream offers customers an affordable solution that's 
> available today and accessible across VoiceStream's entire GSM network 
> nationwide, the largest high-speed data footprint in the country."
>
> For just $2.99 a month, VoiceStream customers can add iStream to their 
> monthly voice plan and get access to Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes 
> e-mail, contacts, and calendar and up to 10 Internet e-mail accounts right 
> from their Internet compatible handsets using ViAir's WirelessInboxTM 
> solution. Or, as part of the same add-on feature, customers can look up 
> movie times at their neighborhood theatre, find a good restaurant for a 
> spur-of-the-moment date, use AOL Instant MessengerTM service to chat with 
> friends, and get up-to-date information on local traffic, weather, news 
> and sports.
>
> For more demanding users, VoiceStream offers service plans for customers 
> to bring the benefits of high-speed wireless Internet connection to their 
> laptop or capture the power of mobile information on a Windows®CE 3.0 
> based Pocket PC to browse remotely and get directions, maps and more. The 
> $19.99 and $39.99 add-on service plans allow customers to access 
> approximately 90 to 180 web pages, respectively, on their laptop or 
> compatible Pocket PC or approximately 850 to 1,700 e-mails, respectively, 
> by cabling the Motorola P280 Internet compatible phone to their device. 
> The Motorola P280 phone, available for $169.99 through 
> <http://voicestream.com/products/stores/stores.asp>VoiceStream stores and 
> at <http://www.voicestream.com/>voicestream.com, comes with the cables 
> that essentially turn the handset into a wireless modem.
>
> Unlike most other wireless Internet services, iStream provides an 'always 
> on' connection to the Internet, which eliminates the need to continuously 
> log on or dial up a data session every time you want to exchange 
> information. Customers are only a single button away from access to real 
> time information using their iStream phone. The iStream network allows you 
> to make and receive phone calls and then resume your data session when you 
> are ready.
>
> "VoiceStream is taking this ease of use advantage and making it benefit 
> the customer where it counts the most - in their pocketbook - with pricing 
> plans based on how much information is sent and received, not the connect 
> time to access it," said Brodman. Wireless Internet users have 
> traditionally been charged for every minute they were connected to the 
> Internet. Given slow network speeds, costs could be considerable and users 
> could economize only by limiting their time online. Faster, "always on" 
> iStream service makes all that obsolete.
>
> VoiceStream's new iStream network can run at speeds up to 56 kilobits per 
> second and averages up to 40 kilobits per second, comparable to what 
> customers experience from a home dial-up connection, compared to 9.6 kbps 
> limits on most other wireless networks.
>
> VoiceStream's iStream data network is based on GPRS (General Packet Radio 
> Services) technology - an extension of VoiceStream's GSM based wireless 
> network. VoiceStream operates the largest GSM network in the United 
> States, serving over 6,000 cities, and is the first carrier to offer 
> customers access to its high-speed data services while traveling anywhere 
> on its network nationwide.
>
> Additionally, VoiceStream has established a roaming agreement with 
> Microcell, Canada's largest GSM/GPRS service provider, offering a 
> high-speed mobile data network throughout North America for Fido and 
> VoiceStream customers.
>
> VoiceStream's new wireless data services and devices are the first of many 
> innovations to come to market following VoiceStream's merger with T-Mobile 
> International AG, the mobile telecommunications subsidiary of Deutsche 
> Telekom. VoiceStream and T-Mobile will continue to evolve their global 
> wireless service offerings by introducing devices and content that enhance 
> worldwide mobility and complement customers' home or business applications.
>
> <http://www.voicestream.com/about/press/press_20011114.asp#>Click here to 
> take an iStream product tour.
>
> About VoiceStream
>
> Based in Bellevue, Wash., VoiceStream and its affiliates own licenses to 
> provide service to over 97 percent of the U.S. population. VoiceStream's 
> committed to providing the best value in wireless service through its 'GET 
> MORE' promise to provide customers with more minutes, more features and 
> more service than any other wireless provider in the markets they serve. 
> VoiceStream uses and operates the globally dominant Global System for 
> Mobile (GSM) communications technology platform. VoiceStream is a member 
> of the T-Mobile International group, the mobile telecommunications 
> subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom (NYSE:DT). Through its subsidiaries and 
> other investments, Deutsche Telekom today serves more than 62 million 
> mobile telephony subscribers worldwide. For more information, visit the 
> company Web site 
> at<http://www.voicestream.com/about/press/press_20011114.asp#> voicestream.com
>
>
> For further information, contact:
> <mailto:kim.thompson () voicestream com>Kim Thompson
> Director/Corporate Communications
> VoiceStream Wireless
> 425-378-4074 <mailto:steve.bryant () publicis-usa com>Steve Bryant
> Publicis Dialog for VoiceStream Wireless
> 206-270-4664


For archives see:
http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/