AT&T, BT Venture Introduces Mobile Phone for U.S. and Europe
'WorldConnect' Combines Two Technologies
--From AOL.-- Cooters
LONDON (July 11) -- British Telecommunications Plc and AT&T Corp. said they will offer a single mobile phone number that callers can use in both Europe and the U.S.
The so-called dual-band phone will work on both companies' mobile networks, which use different technologies. BT and AT&T, which last year formed a wireless alliance called Advance, will call the service ``WorldConnect.''
``These products provide customers the opportunity to eliminate the boundaries of technology and geography,'' said John Zeglis, chairman and Chief executive of AT&T Wireless Group.
Advance will use dual band phones made by Motorola Inc. and Siemens AG, BT said.
The Advance phone can be used with so-called Time Division Multiple Access, or TDMA, technology used in the U.S., and Global System for Mobile Communications, or GSM, used in Europe and most of Asia.
BT and AT&T will offer service in as many as 7,000 U.S. cities and 100 countries in Europe and Asia. The companies formed Advance last year to pool their wireless services for businesses and introduce new products to better compete with Vodafone AirTouch Plc, the world's largest wireless company. Vodafone has a joint venture with Bell Atlantic Corp. called Verizon Communications Inc.
Advance also said it's introducing global billing and purchasing and on-the-go access to company networks through a service called WorldView.
Mobile-phone usage is expected to explode as subscribers use their phones for more functions. Ericsson AB, the world's third-largest maker of mobile phones, has said it expects more people will access the Web through wireless devices by 2005 than through other means.
Jul/11/2000 6:02 ET |
