Cheap Cell Calls Have a Price

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Reply-To: <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 08:14:02 -0800
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Cheap Cell Calls Have a Price

Cheap Cell Calls Have a Price 
By Rachel Metz

Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,66124,00.html

02:00 AM Dec. 30, 2004 PT

A telecom products and software engineering company called Xcelis
Communications, LLC claims it will soon make cheap, unlimited cell
phone calling a reality, but cell phone companies aren't hopping on the
bandwagon.

  Xcelis recently released a free trial offer of its soon-to-be-released
Pantheon service, which will offer consumers as much talk time as they
want on their mobile phones. Callers -- who must already have unlimited
mobile-to-mobile calling on their cell phone plans -- dial an assigned
number, get a dial tone, and then dial their destination number. The
second call is issued through Voice over Internet Protocol or a public
landline.


  Though they're currently advertising the product on their website as a
$10 monthly subscription service for unlimited calling, Xcelis heads
said they're not sure exactly how much it will eventually cost. They're
also not sure if the service will be offered directly through them or
available by way of a box customers would purchase.

  This second option would require consumers to keep an additional
Bluetooth-enabled cell phone at home. That phone would be called from
the caller's primary cell phone, or up to nine friends and family
members' phones, and it would then alert the Pantheon box using
Bluetooth. The box routes calls through the customer's existing
landline or VOIP service.

  Only the owner of the product could get unlimited incoming calls.
Calls could be received from anywhere in the world, and international
calls could be placed but users would be charged the rates set by their
VOIP or landline provider. This is similar to a device Xcelis currently
sells to businesses.

  Xcelis CEO Glen Alexis said the subscription service, which will only
allow unlimited outgoing calls to the United States and Canada (or
internationally for a higher fee), will be meant to persuade consumers
to switch to buying the box.

  The company claims thousands have signed up for its seven-day freebie
opportunity -- available now just to those in the United States with
Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile contracts -- and they hope to roll out a
regular version of Pantheon by early 2005. Through the trial, calls are
limited to 15 minutes and can only be made as outgoing calls to
anywhere in the United States or Canada.

  "We did zero marketing ... and so it's obviously something that is
part of what people want," said Tim Reese, Xcelis COO and president.
"They want somehow to tie in their mobile phones to lower their call
costs."

  While customers might flip for the unlimited service -- despite having
to make more than one call to reach their destination -- cell phone
giants expressed varying views.

  T-Mobile and Cingular issued e-mail statements.

  A T-Mobile representative wrote, "Like all carriers, T-Mobile USA is
concerned about and continually monitors our network for abuse.
T-Mobile has no partnership or business relationship with Xcelis beyond
a standard business account."

[snip]

Archives at: <http://Wireless.Com/Dewayne-Net>
Weblog at: <http://weblog.warpspeed.com>


------ End of Forwarded Message


-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com
To manage your subscription, go to
  http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/