VoiceStream to add e-mail service to cell phones
November 15, 2001
BELLEVUE, Wash. (November 15, 2001 3:42 p.m. EST) - VoiceStream's cellular phone customers can now access e-mail, calendars and address lists or send America Online instant messages at a connection speed comparable to the average home modem hookup under a new service unveiled Wednesday.
Called iStream, the service lets users go online via their cell phone at speeds of around 40 kilobits per second - about the speed of a regular land line modem connection - using new wireless connection technology called General Packet Radio Services.
The move could give VoiceStream a slight edge over competitors who offer similar services but at much slower speeds.
VoiceStream's service will run on a Motorola T193 Internet-capable cell phone, which VoiceStream plans to sell for about $50 after a rebate.
The basic iStream service will cost about $3 a month and will run via the WirelessInbox technology developed by Seattle-based ViAir.
For about $20 to $40 a month, users also will be able to access certain Web sites on a laptop or PocketPC-enabled devices.
VoiceStream is a Bellevue-based subsidiary of German phone company Deutsche Telekom.
The Associated Press. Copyright ©l 2001 AP Online