Sprint Announces Sept Wireless Internet.
August 11, 1999 4:02pm
Sprint plans wireless Internet access
Reuters
By Anna Driver
CHICAGO, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Sprint Corp. the nation's no. 3 long distance provider, said Wednesday it planned to offer wireless Internet access in late September, a move seen as critical to the success of local and long distance carriers.
"If you don't have this, you'll be left behind," John Garcia, senior vice president sales and marketing for Kansas City, Mo.-based Sprint told Reuters.
The services, branded Sprint PCS Wireless Web, would be offered by Sprint's wireless communications unit, Sprint PCS Group <PCS.N>. Mobile telephone customers would have access to some Web content and would be able to have data from Yahoo! <YHOO.O> -- for example news and weather updates -- delivered to their telephones.
Sprint <FON.N> also planned to offer a wireless Web connection that would allow users to access laptop and hand- held computers using their mobile telephones instead of a telephone line.
Many other carriers have plans to launch wireless Internet access and most new mobile phones are equipped with the capability to offer Internet access, but the quality of service would determine a company's success, one industry analyst said.
"In the age of competition, if I'm a carrier, I can't afford to let another carrier offer a service that I don't -- unless the service is a flop," said Mark Roberts, telecommunications analyst with First Union.
Roberts said carriers expected wireless data services to generate incremental revenues and loyalty from subscribers, but if the service was unreliable, subscribers would be quick to switch carriers.
Sprint's Garcia said tests of its wireless Internet access showed it was as reliable as voice delivery.
"CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) is a very reliable way of transmitting through the air," Garcia said. "We feel that the data connection is as stable as a voice connection."
Sprint also expects revenues from its Internet access services eventually to match revenues from its voice services, Garcia said.
Shares of Sprint were up 1-3/4 at 47-1/2 and shares of Sprint PCS were up 1/8 at 55-3/8. |
