AT&T Wireless Services to Reduce AT&T Wireless Packet Data Service Pricing.KIRKLAND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 17, 1996--The Wireless Data Division of AT&T Wireless Services today announced a new price structure for AT&T(r) Wireless Packet Data Service. The new rate plan, which will offer as much as a 60 percent reduction over previously published rates, is the latest move by AT&T Wireless Services to make the service easy to use, affordable and widely accessible. AT&T Wireless Packet Data Service is based on Cellular Digital Packet Data (communications, protocol) Cellular Digital Packet Data - (CDPD) A wireless standard providing two-way, 19.2 kbps packet data transmission over exisiting cellular telephone channels. (CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data) A low-speed, digital, wireless data network that is an enhancement to an existing analog cellular network. Based on IBM's CelluPlan II, CDPD provides a packet overlay onto the AMPS network and moves data at 19. ), a technology developed by AT&T Wireless Services, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) Corp. and a consortium of U.S. cellular U.S. Cellular (NYSE: USM) is a super-regional cellular telephone provider, serving 5.8 million customers in 189 markets in 26 U.S. states. The company was created in 1983 as a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. Since April 2000, John E. service providers. CDPD allows data to be transmitted wirelessly over the cellular network. The service is well-suited for a variety of remote computing applications used by mobile professionals, including e-mail and remote database access. Unlike a cellular voice account, which is billed on a full-minute basis, AT&T Wireless Packet Data Service charges customers for each kilobyte (thousand bytes). For technical specifications, it refers to 1,024 bytes. In general usage, it typically refers to an even one thousand bytes (see kilo). Also KB, Kbyte and K-byte. See space/time. (unit) kilobyte - (KB) 2^10 = 1024 bytes. See prefix. of data they send or receive over the CDPD network. Under the new rate structure, customers can choose from one of five service plans covering gradually increasing levels of use per month. Each service plan is characterized by a base monthly fee and a monthly kilobyte-per-second (KBps) allowance. The five service plans range from $22 per month with a 200KBps allowance (11 cents per kilobyte), to $145 per month with a 4,000KBps allowance (3.6 cents per kilobyte). Each plan also has a per-kilobyte rate for usage beyond the monthly allowance, ranging from 5 cents to 12 cents per kilobyte (see Table One), and a one- time activation fee of $45 per user. -0-
Table One
Service Monthly Monthly Usage Rate
Plans Minimum Fees Kilobyte Allowance (per Kilobyte)
After Allowance
Plan One $22 200 12 cents Plan Two $50 1,000 8 cents Plan Three $85 2,000 6 cents Plan Four $115 3,000 5 cents Plan Five $145 4,000 5 cents These rates are valid in both AT&T-owned and -managed markets and in markets served by intercarrier relationships and partnerships offering AT&T Wireless Packet Data Service. An average e-mail message is approximately 1.5 kilobytes; the average page of text is four kilobytes. With a monthly allowance of 2,000Kbps (Plan Three), a user would be able to send or receive about 1,300 average e-mail messages or 500 pages of text per month. Users will be charged the same rates whether they are using the service in an AT&T-owned market or another carrier's market where AT&T Wireless Packet Data Service can be used by virtue of an intercarrier agreement or a partnership agreement. "Customers are clear: Wireless data services need to be priced affordably, with predictable monthly fees," said Kendra VanderMeulen, vice president and general manager of the Wireless Data Division of AT&T Wireless Services. "With this new pricing structure, customers can select the plan that is consistent with their usage requirements, which frees them from counting kilobytes. We believe this new pricing structure delivers on all fronts." Dan Merriman, director of mobile communications with GIGA Information Group, added, "A key requirement for potential wireless data users is cost-effective solutions. Driving down the cost of service and creating easy-to-understand pricing packages are important elements for meeting potential users' needs." Improving Ease of Use and Accessibility According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. VanderMeulen, new pricing for AT&T Wireless Packet Data Service is part of the Wireless Data Division's overall effort in 1996 to accelerate customer adoption of wireless data solutions. The division recently joined forces with AT&T InterSpan Frame Relay A high-speed packet switching protocol used in wide area networks (WANs). Providing a granular service of up to DS3 speed (45 Mbps), it has become popular for LAN to LAN connections across remote distances, and services are offered by most major carriers. Service to allow users of AT&T Wireless Packet Data Service easier fixed-end connectivity to AT&T InterSpan Frame Relay Service. This collaboration also will allow existing AT&T Frame Relay Service customers to easily extend their networks wirelessly to remote workers via the AT&T Wireless Services CDPD network. As a result, AT&T can now offer a broader portfolio of end-to-end host connectivity options, both wireless and wireline, that can be tailored to meet each customer's business needs. AT&T Wireless Services also continues to improve accessibility of commercial AT&T Wireless Packet Data Service in major markets across the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . In 1996, the company has already increased the size of its commercial footprint (measured by population) by nearly 20 percent with the introduction of service in Austin, Texas; Denver; Sacramento, Calif.; and San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. . AT&T Wireless Packet Data Service is also available to AT&T customers traveling to Chicago; Cincinnati; Columbus, Ohio Columbus is the capital and the largest city of the American state of Ohio. Named for explorer Christopher Columbus, the city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and assumed the functions of state capital in 1816. ; Dayton, Ohio Dayton is a city in southwestern Ohio, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Montgomery County. As of the 2005 census estimate, the population of Dayton was 158,873. ; Detroit; and St. Louis through a network interconnection agreement reached with Ameritech Cellular Ameritech Mobile Communications, LLC was the first company in the United States to provide cellular mobile phone service to the general public. Cell service became publicly available in Chicago on October 13, 1983. earlier this year. Later this year, AT&T Wireless Packet Data Service is also scheduled to be available in the greater San Francisco Bay Area “Bay Area” redirects here. For other uses, see Bay Area (disambiguation). The San Francisco Bay Area, colloquially known as the Bay Area or The Bay through a partnership agreement with Bay Area Cellular One. These markets join existing commercial AT&T Wireless Packet Data Service markets, including Dallas; Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale (lô`dərdāl), residential, commercial, and resort city (1990 pop. 149,377), seat of Broward co., SE Fla., on the Atlantic coast; settled around a fort built (c.1837) in the Seminole War, inc. 1911. , Fla.; Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. ; Miami; Minneapolis; New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of ; Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (1990 pop. 444,719), state capital, and seat of Oklahoma co., central Okla., on the North Canadian River; inc. 1890. The state's largest city, it is an important livestock market, a wholesale, distribution, industrial, and financial center, and a farm ; Pittsburgh; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City; Seattle; and Tulsa, Okla., raising the company's total to 22 markets. AT&T Wireless Services, formerly McCaw Cellular Communications, is the leading provider of wireless communications services in the United States, servicing more than 5.5 million cellular and 980,000 messaging customers, and is a world leader in air-to-ground communication services. The Wireless Data Division of AT&T Wireless Services is a recognized leader in the development of wireless data communications, offering solutions designed to meet the spectrum of business data communications requirements, from short transactions, such as messaging, data entry and dispatch, to longer sessions typical of file transfers and interactive computing. For additional information, contact the Wireless Data Division at 800/552-3373. The Wireless Data Division's World Wide Web address is http://www.airdata.com/. -0- AT&T is a registered trademark of American Telephone and Telegraph Co. CONTACT: AT&T Wireless Services Wireless Data Division Jennifer Gehrt, 206/803-7976 jennifer.gehrt(at)airdata.com or Waggener Edstrom Eleni Tsigas, 503/245-0905 elenit(at)wagged.com |
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