Cingular walkie-talkie to rival Nextel

[jones]

Cingular walkie-talkie service to rival Nextel




NEW YORK, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Cingular Wireless, the biggest U.S. mobile phone service, plans on Monday to introduce a walkie-talkie feature aimed at stealing customers from Sprint Nextel Corp. <S.N>, currently the leader in that market.

Cingular, the wireless venture of AT&T Inc. <T.N> and BellSouth Corp. <BLS.N> is the last of the big three U.S. mobile providers to offer the feature, which was popularized by Nextel Communications, now part of Sprint Nextel.

But extra bells and whistles and a wider network reach than Nextel could give Cingular an edge in winning new customers and boosting its average monthly revenue per user

(ARPU), as well as its customer loyalty, one analyst said.

"There's an opportunity for them to increase ARPU, reduce churn and to steal some of Nextel customers," said Andy Seybold, president of consultancy Outlook 4Mobility.

He estimated that, Alltel Corp. <AT.N>, which does not have a national network like Cingular, but uses the same technology for its walkie-talkie service, has already lured away hundreds of thousands of Nextel customers.

New elements to the Cingular service include icons that let users see who else is available, similar to the buddy list system used for Internet instant messaging services.

Users will also be able to instantly call a group of up to 20 people and set up a mobile conference calls, it said.

It is aiming its service at consumers such as families and teenagers, as well as business customers.

"There a big market for business, but there's a huge market for family and friends," said Seybold who estimated that the service could attract as many as 20 percent of Cingular's more than 50 million existing customers.

Cingular plans to charge $9.99 a month for individual users, on top of its regular monthly fees, and $19.99 for a family of up to five people.

http://today.reuters.com/business/ne...&imageid=&cap=

[Etorres777]

Though I say I don't like PTT, I want to give it a shot now... LOL

[jones]

http://www.cingular.com/pushtotalk

[Shizam76]

Originally Posted by Etorres777

Though I say I don't like PTT, I want to give it a shot now... LOL

I'd like to try it out....like in the store....but that's it! I don't want this...yuk....

Just call me! It's easier then waiting for my notify to get to you...you to respond...all this beep beep beep stuff Ewwwwwww.

[bobolito]

Who would've thought that Andy Seybold, the #1 Cingular basher back when Cingular was upgrading TDMA to GSM, is actually swallowing his words and praising Cingular.

What goes around comes around!

[WirelessBeachBum]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Who would've thought that Andy Seybold, the #1 Cingular basher back when Cingular was upgrading TDMA to GSM, is actually swallowing his words and praising Cingular.

What goes around comes around!

Seybold usually cares more about ratings and controversy over accuracy...just my two cents.

I don't think I have ever listened or read a report by him that he didn't come off a someone who just doesn't get it.

[Etorres777]

Does anyone know how much the LG F7200 is by itself (no contract for an existing line on contract) and for a new line for a 2-year contract? Does anyone know the price for the Samsung d537 with the both scenarios I mentioned with the LG?

[bobolito]

Originally Posted by WirelessBeachBum

Seybold usually cares more about ratings and controversy over accuracy...just my two cents.

I don't think I have ever listened or read a report by him that he didn't come off a someone who just doesn't get it.

LOL!.... Really, the way I see it, whenever I see "Outlook for Mobility" mentioned I think about a blog written by a 14-year-old. My views about it haven't changed since those days.

[josephd]

Originally Posted by Etorres777

Does anyone know how much the LG F7200 is by itself (no contract for an existing line on contract) and for a new line for a 2-year contract? Does anyone know the price for the Samsung d537 with the both scenarios I mentioned with the LG?

The LG sells for $200.00 before tax, I checked one out at a kiosk today and to be truthful I found the phone to have a cheap feel to it. The Samsung is not available yet or at least at the store I was at.

[jones]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Who would've thought that Andy Seybold, the #1 Cingular basher back when Cingular was upgrading TDMA to GSM, is actually swallowing his words and praising Cingular.

What goes around comes around!

Andy Seybold is now saying it's Better than NEXTEL & CDMA PTT

Two years ago, Verizon Wireless LLC tried to carve out a slice of the market, as did Sprint Corp. But both of their technologies took longer than Nextel's to connect a call, and they failed to gain popularity. Both have all but halted their marketing and are plotting to relaunch new and improved products. (Sprint and Nextel have since merged, and Sprint Nextel Corp. is headquartered in Reston.)

"They haven't been successful because they haven't built a product that really works," said Andy Seybold, president of Outlook 4Mobility, a consulting and research firm. Cingular's service takes longer than Nextel's to set up initially, but once the connection is made, it offers clearer sound than Nextel's, he said. Cingular is likely to eat into Nextel's customer base, he said. "There are a lot of people who are fed up with Nextel, and Nextel was the only game in town," Seybold said.

[Airb330]

Good for business, but I think it is pointless for consumers. They launch the service with an ugly, cheap feeling/looking LG sldier....yeah that is going to appeal to businesses...

[our3rotts]

Originally Posted by Etorres777

Does anyone know how much the LG F7200 is by itself (no contract for an existing line on contract) and for a new line for a 2-year contract? Does anyone know the price for the Samsung d537 with the both scenarios I mentioned with the LG?

On my employer's Premier website, the LG is $119.99 and the Samsung is $149.99 - that's with the Premier discount & 2 yr contract. Otherwise they say $179.99 & $379.99. I think the Samsung looks decent.

But I won't get PTT - since everyone I know has Nextel & they won't be switching. Now if Cingular offered out of network PTT, maybe...

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by our3rotts

On my employer's Premier website, the LG is $119.99 and the Samsung is $149.99 - that's with the Premier discount & 2 yr contract. Otherwise they say $179.99 & $379.99. I think the Samsung looks decent.

But I won't get PTT - since everyone I know has Nextel & they won't be switching. Now if Cingular offered out of network PTT, maybe...

The problem is different technologies at play here, and the companies would be reluctant to add out of network PTT because then they aren't forcing everyone onto their service.

[our3rotts]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

The problem is different technologies at play here, and the companies would be reluctant to add out of network PTT because then they aren't forcing everyone onto their service.

Gee, I guess that would mean they'd have to compete with great customer service, better signal strength and competitive pricing...bummer.