Verizon Wireless To Launch Walkie-Talkie Svc Thurs-Report
Wednesday August 13, 5:16 pm ET
By Christine Nuzum, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
biz.yahoo.com
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless carrier, is expected on Thursday to launch a phone with walkie-talkie functions to compete with Nextel Communications Inc.'s popular Direct Connect service, a trade publication reported Wednesday.
Verizon Wireless will initially sell handsets made by Motorola Corp. for the service, but will introduce ones made by South Korea's Samsung Corp. shortly afterward, RCR Wireless News reported. The article listed the handset price at $ 150 to $330, depending on the length of the contract. Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon Communications and Vodafone PLC (NYSE:VOD) .
Officials from Verizon Wireless, Motorola and Samsung weren't immediately available for comment.
Verizon Wireless' initial rollout of the service will be nationwide, RCR said.
Nextel doesn't break out how much revenue Direct Connect brings, but more than 90% of the company's 11.7 million customers use the service every month, said spokeswoman Audrey Schaefer.
Verizon Wireless sued Nextel in June, charging the rival improperly acquired prototypes of its walkie-talkie phone and gained unauthorized access to its network. |
