Bell Atlantic Mobile Introduces New, Simple Choice for Wireless Internet, E-Mail Access
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Bell Atlantic Mobile Introduces New, Simple Choice for Wireless Internet, E-Mail Access
Brings the Web to Consumers' Fingertips On New Digital
Wireless Phones
November 8, 1999
Media contact: | Howie Waterman, |
BEDMINSTER, NJ -- Bell Atlantic Mobile next week will deliver the
World Wide Web into the hands of consumers and mobile professionals
with the introduction of easy-to-use wireless access to the Internet. On
November 17, the company will launch Web Access in all of its East Coast
markets, featuring Web-enabled digital wireless phones that have built-in
modems so customers can surf the Web, send and receive e-mail, get real-
time stock market analysis and quotes, and set up customized personal
Web pages.
For just $9.95 a month, in addition to their digital voice price plans, Web
Access customers also gain interactive wireless connectivity to Web-based
content providers on demand, like on-line travel information and
reservations, real-time airline flight status reports, and door-to-door travel
directions.
Web Access Microbrowser provides a lightning-quick connection to the
Internet, at least five times faster than the standard landline modem. Web
Access Microbrowser customers will also benefit from a wireless personal
organizer, and access to more than 20 leading content providers, including:
- TheTrip.com -- the on-line source for travel and flight
reservations, real-time flight tracking, designed for mobile
professionals and business travelers - Bloomberg -- the latest business news, stock quotes, financial
data and company profiles from 75 news bureaus worldwide - WhoWhere? -- the leading Web directory with nearly 100
million listings - AccuWeather -- customized weather forecasts and updates
from around the globe
Denny Strigl, president and CEO of Bell Atlantic Global Wireless, plans
to discuss the company's Web Access rollout this afternoon at The Yankee
Group's 7th Annual Wireless Mobile Conference, "Mobile.Net: The
Next Generation of Wireless" in Manhattan.
"We're offering the mass consumer market a simple and
inexpensive way of connecting to the Internet and e-mail wirelessly, using
the same digital handset they use for wireless voice service," said
Strigl. "When you combine Web Access' ease of use, mobility and
comprehensive content with the American appetite for e-mail and the
Internet, it's clear why Bell Atlantic Mobile expects this service to
increase mainstream demand for wireless data services."
With 40 million mobile professionals in the U.S. requiring constant access
to e-mail, corporate intranets and inventory, and various on-line services,
wireless data is a market the Yankee Group predicts will grow from $1.8
billion this year to $13.2 billion by 2003.
HOW TO GET CONNECTED
Bell Atlantic Mobile customers can sign on for Web Access for just $9.95
a month on top of their DigitalChoice? voice price plans, which begin as
low as $19.99 a month. Customers will simply share the monthly bundle
of access minutes between their voice and data service. Unlike some
competitors' offers, which penalize customers for combining voice and
data usage by offering smaller minute bundles than their voice-only
customers get, Bell Atlantic Mobile makes it easy by offering one set of
plans that cater to both voice and data usage.
Equipped with a Qualcomm 860 digital phone featuring a built-in
microbrowser, customers can access the aforementioned Internet sites that
have been specially formatted for wireless phone screens. The phone is
available for $119.99, about one quarter the cost of some competitors'
phone offerings for wireless Internet access. Next month, the company
plans to offer additional Web-enabled phones, including the Qualcomm
PDQ 800, which has a built-in personal digital assistant, and the Motorola
StarTac 7860.
For customers who prefer to use a laptop for full Web browsing complete
with color and graphics, a connection kit for $79.99 supplies a data cable
to connect the phone and a notebook with a full-size screen.
One of the great benefits of Web Access is the personal organizer, which
provides customers with a personal web page to update their calendar,
address book/contact lists, and bookmarks either from the Web or their
wireless phone.
Bell Atlantic Mobile is a leader in offering wireless data solutions,
including wireless credit card verification and point-of-sale applications,
remote meter reading, access to criminal databases from laptops in police
cars, wireless mugshots and wireless Automated Teller Machines over its
wireless packet network. The company has close to 200,000 customers
using wireless data, and also provides the option of flat-rate wireless
access to the Internet from laptops, PDAs and Windows CE devices.
"We have years of experience in the implementation and
management of commercial IP networks," said Strigl. "Most
other carriers are just getting their feet wet when offering wireless data
services."
To sign up for Web Access or other wireless data offerings, customers can
call 1-800-308-DATA or visit Bell Atlantic Mobile Communications
Stores. For more information, click onto the company's website at
www.bam.com.
Bell Atlantic Mobile owns and operates the largest wireless network in the
East and systems in the Southwest, covering 180,000 square miles, and the
largest chain of retail outlets devoted exclusively to wireless voice, data
and paging. Based in Bedminster, NJ, Bell Atlantic Mobile has 6.9
million customers and 8,000 employees from Maine to Georgia and in
parts of Arizona, New Mexico and west Texas. Through its
"Wireless at Work..." community service program, the
company uses its technology to help individuals and communities improve
security and emergency communications. Bell Atlantic Mobile's parent,
Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE:BEL) is one of the world's largest
wireless communications companies, with domestic operations in 25 states
and international investments in Mexico, Europe and the Pacific Rim. For
more information on Bell Atlantic Mobile visit: www.bam.com; on global
operations visit: www.bellatlantic.com/worldwide.