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Technology Stocks : Qualcomm Moderated Thread - please read rules before posting -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: foundation who wrote (31406)	1/20/2003 3:03:47 PM
From: foundation	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 197051

'Gen 2.5' hang-ups haunt parents The Australian January 21, 2003 Michael Sainsbury MOBILE phone network operators are reviewing pricing on their $300 million investment in a technology that's failed to attract many customers. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone each spent about $100 million two years ago to upgrade their GSM networks to so-called general packet radio system (GPRS) technology, also known as Generation 2.5. Standard pricing for GPRS is 2c a kilobyte, with the most cost-effective being about $70 for 12 megabytes a month. (Clicking onto the popular ninemsn site, for instance, uses about 50kb.) The technology offers "always on" internet access for mobile devices, in much the same way as broadband (cable modem and digital subscriber line or DSL technologies), or "always on" internet and data services for fixed-line services. Struggling No.3 network Vodafone revealed yesterday it would release new prices for GPRS within the next few months. "We understand that customers want more cost-effective plans," said data marketing manager Jenny Chia. Vodafone would offer an aggregrator plan, allowing businesses to buy a chunk of data download and spread it around several users. It will also offer new plans for individuals, Ms Chia said. The company also will offer a range of new applications, designed to attract users to its GRPS network over the next six months. It launched the first of these in Melbourne yesterday -- a software and GPRS modem package for laptop computers. Aimed at business, it lets people use their laptops, connect to the internet and send emails from anywhere over the GSM/GPRS network. According to sources, Telstra has been reviewing its GPRS pricing, with a view to getting some return on its investment. Last year, it started upgrading its other mobile network, CDMA, to a faster technology, and said at the time that GPRS wasn't fast enough for business users.