Sprint's Cell-Net Link Works, But Pricing A Morass
ctnow.com
August 29, 2002
By WALTER S. MOSSBERG, Wall Street Journal
After years of delays and false promises, the cellular-phone carriers in the United States are finally rolling out higher-speed data networks that allow users to get onto the Internet wirelessly.
These new cellphone systems, which also carry voice calls, aren't really "high speed," despite some claims. In fact, they are only about as fast as a dial-up home modem. But the new networks are three or four times as fast as previous Internet connections possible via cellphone.
This month, Sprint introduced nationwide its higher-speed network, called PCS Vision, and I've been testing it for several weeks using a variety of devices, including a souped-up Samsung voice phone that can take pictures and transmit them to the Web, a new Sprint version of Handspring's Treo combination phone/PDA and a card you plug into a laptop to connect it to the Internet wirelessly.
I found Sprint's PCS Vision to be reliable, easy to use and faster than I expected. But Sprint's pricing plans for the system are confusing, because they require users to figure out how many megabytes of data they'll be downloading in a month. And it can get expensive if you guess wrong.
I'll have a full review of Sprint's new Treo next month, along with a look at the Samsung A500 phone and its optional camera. This week, I focus on testing Sprint's new network by using a $249 wireless Internet card you can plug into a laptop.
The card, made for Sprint by Novatel Wireless, is called the PCS Connection Card, or Merlin C201, and it works with any laptop running Windows 98 or later. It also works in some PDAs that use Microsoft's Pocket PC software. I tested it on an IBM ThinkPad running Windows XP and found that both the card and the Sprint network worked flawlessly and easily.
I was able to surf the Web, and send and receive e-mail, from multiple locations in the Washington area. It worked at my office and home, in my car parked alongside the road, and in fast-food joints and coffee shops. Obviously, the card won't work in areas where Sprint has no, or poor, coverage.
The card and the Sprint network operate like any other Internet connection. You use your same e-mail program, Web browser and e-mail accounts. You don't have to learn any new software or commands. Everything on your laptop that works via the Internet, including Web-based e-mail, instant messaging and file downloading, just works.
Sprint has done a great job of speeding up and optimizing the Internet connection so it feels faster than it really is. The actual link averages only 50-70 kilobits per second, far slower than a cable modem or DSL line, though a bit faster than a phone modem. But Sprint's network compresses all the data being downloaded, so it moves like a much faster system. I ran 21 tests of the download speed at four bandwidth test sites on the Web. The network performed like a system capable of 400 kilobits per second.
The downside is that Web graphics come out grainier and fuzzier than they do with a wired connection. But the trade-off is well worth it. If you need to see the graphics at full quality, there's a keyboard command you can use to do so. Some functions, like file downloading, don't benefit from the compression system, but Sprint plans new software later in the year to speed those up, too.
A few months back, I tested Verizon's similar higher-speed network using a laptop card made by Sierra Wireless. I prefer the Sprint experience. For one thing, the Novatel card used by Sprint encloses its antenna in a sealed compartment that protrudes from the laptop. The Verizon card has a hinged, vertical antenna that can break off and get lost. Also, Verizon drops your network connection after 5 minutes of inactivity, while Sprint keeps you connected for at least 2 hours, allowing e-mail to arrive automatically.
The big problem with PCS Vision is pricing. With the Novatel card, Sprint offers consumers two plans: $39.99 a month for 20 megabytes of data, or $79.99 a month for 70 megabytes. Anything more you download costs two-tenths of a cent per kilobyte - about $2 a megabyte. You can buy an extra 50 megabytes a month for $40.
But this pricing scheme is absurd, and financially risky for the consumer. Who totes up how many megabytes Web surfing or e-mail consumes?
The PCS Vision network and Novatel card work well. But until Sprint offers flat-rate pricing so users know the costs, I doubt the service will be as popular as it could be. |
