Nextel Makes History with Nationwide Direct Connect--The Longest Range Digital Walkie-Talkie
Business Wire - June 02, 2003 08:15
RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 2003--
Coast-to-Coast Service to be Available by Mid-June in More than 50 Percent of Nextel Markets including New England, Florida, California, New York, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia and the Pacific Northwest
National Roll-out to be Completed in August
Nextel Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTL), Nextel Partners (NASDAQ:NXTP) and Motorola (NYSE:MOT) announced that Nationwide Direct Connect(TM), the first and only wireless walkie-talkie service to allow users instant communication across the country, will begin rolling out today.
More than 50 percent of the markets supported by Nextel and Nextel Partners will be enabled for Nationwide Direct Connect service by June 16, 2003. Nextel and Nextel Partners plan to make this nationwide service available in all of its coverage areas, including Hawaii.
Built more than 10 years ago with a foundation to support Direct Connect(TM) technology, the Nextel National Network is scalable to allow efficient expansion for services such as Nationwide Direct Connect, while providing an identical end-user experience to the original service.
"Nationwide Direct Connect is a technological breakthrough that facilitates instant communication throughout our coverage areas - extending Nextel's undeniable leadership in instant communications," said Nextel Executive Vice President and COO Tom Kelly. "Nationwide Direct Connect delivers on our strategy of being first, being different and being better than the competition. This new service will enhance the productivity of nearly 12 million subscribers - especially those in transportation, business services, government, construction and real estate."
"Our customers have come to depend on walkie-talkie communication within their local areas and now they have the added benefit of being able to instantly reach each other across the country," said John Chapple, president, CEO and chairman of Nextel Partners.
Among the first Nextel markets to offer customers this service are New England, Florida, and southern California. By June 16, New York, Baltimore, Washington DC, Virginia, the Pacific Northwest, northern California and Atlanta are also expected to be Nationwide Direct Connect enabled.
Nextel customers in these markets will be able to connect in less than a second between any of the cities within these areas, simply by using the push-to-talk button located on the side of every Motorola phone offered by Nextel.
The first phase of Nationwide Direct Connect, initially announced in January of 2003, allows Nextel users to travel with the Direct Connect service and instantly connect with anyone local to the area to which they have traveled, as well as with any other Nextel customers who have traveled with them.
The traveling functionality remains enabled with the launch of phase two nationwide service, allowing Nextel users to connect to anywhere, from anywhere on Nextel's National Network. When the launch of Nationwide Direct Connect is completed, instant walkie-talkie communication will have a span of more than 5,000 miles.
Currently, more than 90 percent of Nextel customers use Direct Connect, completing 170 million Direct Connect calls each day, for a total of more than 60 billion calls in 2002.
"The instant, long-range communication that people will enjoy with Nationwide Direct Connect will be a unique industry leading experience," said Dan Coombes, senior vice president and general manager of the iDEN and Wireless Local Area Networks Groups for Motorola's Global Telecom Solutions Sector. "Motorola's proprietary iDEN network, as well as Motorola's experience in walkie-talkie communication ensure that this service remains in a class by itself."
"We are thrilled with the rollout of this service," said Karen Arens, corporate office manager at Drees Homes in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, a homebuilder with developments in seven states. "Many of our employees deal with, subcontractors, suppliers and personnel in the other states we build in and we're eager to get immediate answers when and where we need to without playing voicemail tag. We look forward to a continued business relationship with Nextel, who has demonstrated true innovation with the launch of Nationwide Direct Connect."
Pricing and Availability:
As an add-on to current rate plans, customers have various pricing options for Nationwide Direct Connect:
-- Unlimited Nationwide Direct Connect for $10 per month
-- Unlimited Nationwide Direct Connect plus Two-Way Text
Messaging for $15 per month
-- Pay-as-you-go pricing
Customers can sign up for unlimited Nationwide Direct Connect access by calling 800/NEXTEL9, contacting their Nextel representative, or visiting nextel.com or a Nextel retail location.
Nextel's 4-in-1 offering is supported by Motorola's iDEN (integrated digital enhanced network) technology. This unique offering of digital cellular voice service, Nextel Direct Connect(R)--the incredibly powerful long-range digital walkie-talkie feature, Nextel Online(R) wireless data and messaging services provides an unmatched set of services for the enterprise.
Motorola's iDEN technology allows business users to benefit from advanced wireless technologies with one pocket-sized digital handset.
About Nextel
Nextel Communications, a Fortune 300 company based in Reston, Va., is a leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications services and has built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the country covering thousands of communities across the United States. Nextel and Nextel Partners, Inc., currently serve 198 of the top 200 U.S. markets.
Through recent market launches, Nextel and Nextel Partners service is available today in areas of the U.S. where approximately 240 million people live or work.
About Nextel Partners
Nextel Partners, Inc., (NASDAQ:NXTP) based in Kirkland, Wash., has the exclusive right to provide digital wireless communications services using the Nextel brand name in 31 states where approximately 53 million people reside.
About Motorola and iDEN
Motorola, Inc. is a global leader in providing integrated communications and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 2002 were $27.3 billion. Motorola is a global corporate citizen dedicated to ethical business practices and pioneering important technologies that make things smarter and life better for people, honored traditions that began when the company was founded 75 years ago this year.
For more information, please visit: www.motorola.com.
iDEN handsets combine the capabilities of a digital wireless phone with "always on" Internet access, text pager, and two-way radio to enable users to instantly communicate with one or hundreds of individuals at the push of a button. For further information on iDEN handsets, visit www.motorola.com/iden.
CONTACT: Nextel Communications, Inc., Reston
Media:
Rebecca Gertsmark, 703/433-3776
rebecca.gertsmark@nextel.com
or
Rich Pesce, 703/433-4927
rich.pesce@nextel.com
or
Investors:
Paul Blalock, 703/433-4300
paul.blalock@nextel.com |
