Apple to resell Cingular service as MVNO

"http://www.ipodnn.com/articles/06/12/13/apple.to.offer.mvno/"

Argh, yet another MVNO.

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› See More: Apple to resell Cingular service as MVNO

i know .. and I definitely wouldn't switch from Cingular just for an
iphone .. i might buy it if it was sold through Cingular but i would
never switch from Cingular for a MVNO -- even if they are on Cingulars
network... By the way, i thought cingular didn't allow MVNO's that are
on their network to use data?

-Rich

[email protected] wrote:
> i know .. and I definitely wouldn't switch from Cingular just for an
> iphone .. i might buy it if it was sold through Cingular but i would
> never switch from Cingular for a MVNO -- even if they are on Cingulars
> network... By the way, i thought cingular didn't allow MVNO's that are
> on their network to use data?

I guess they do now. Data sales have been disappointing, since Sprint
and Verizon locked up the early adopters since they had high speed
coverage a lot earlier than Cingular. Cingular is also discontinuing the
$20 package which many users abused by violating the terms, and doing
tethering.

Maybe it'll be a sweet deal offered by Apple for voice and data. In fact
it would almost have to be, in order to get anyone to switch from the
competition.

SMS wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
> > i know .. and I definitely wouldn't switch from Cingular just for an
> > iphone .. i might buy it if it was sold through Cingular but i would
> > never switch from Cingular for a MVNO -- even if they are on Cingulars
> > network... By the way, i thought cingular didn't allow MVNO's that are
> > on their network to use data?
>
> I guess they do now. Data sales have been disappointing, since Sprint
> and Verizon locked up the early adopters since they had high speed
> coverage a lot earlier than Cingular. Cingular is also discontinuing the
> $20 package which many users abused by violating the terms, and doing
> tethering.
>
> Maybe it'll be a sweet deal offered by Apple for voice and data. In fact
> it would almost have to be, in order to get anyone to switch from the
> competition.

yes youre right.. good points

[email protected] wrote:
> SMS wrote:
>> [email protected] wrote:
>>> i know .. and I definitely wouldn't switch from Cingular just for an
>>> iphone .. i might buy it if it was sold through Cingular but i would
>>> never switch from Cingular for a MVNO -- even if they are on Cingulars
>>> network... By the way, i thought cingular didn't allow MVNO's that are
>>> on their network to use data?
>> I guess they do now. Data sales have been disappointing, since Sprint
>> and Verizon locked up the early adopters since they had high speed
>> coverage a lot earlier than Cingular. Cingular is also discontinuing the
>> $20 package which many users abused by violating the terms, and doing
>> tethering.
>>
>> Maybe it'll be a sweet deal offered by Apple for voice and data. In fact
>> it would almost have to be, in order to get anyone to switch from the
>> competition.
>
> yes youre right.. good points
>

Personally, I don't see a big market for this data service. Apple users
are usually non-corporate users, and would have to pay for the service
themselves. With so much free broadband available, most of which that is
faster than HSDPA, you really have to have a compelling need for
ubiquitous access to pay for HSDPA or EV-DO, or not care about the cost.

Between public parks, libraries, cafes, coffee-houses, and free public
Internet, it's hard to find a place without coverage, at least where I
live. And of course nearly every person whose home I would visit has DSL
or Broadband available to use.

At 13 Dec 2006 22:33:28 -0800 SMS wrote:

> Personally, I don't see a big market for this data service. Apple users
> are usually non-corporate users, and would have to pay for the service
> themselves.

Hard to make a coherent argument when we don't have the specifics, but
I'd guess this will be a music/video download-centric service (i.e.
$xx/month + $0.99/song) rather than a raw data one ($xx/MB.)

> With so much free broadband available, most of which that is faster
> than HSDPA, you really have to have a compelling need for ubiquitous
> access to pay for HSDPA or EV-DO, or not care about the cost.


I've got to move west! Everytime I see someone post about all this free
broadband or free wi-fi everywhere I think "you obviously haven't been
east of the Rockies in awhile!" ;-) In the 90% of the continental US NOT
bordering the Pacific, wi-fi is not as ubiquitous as you think, and many
businesses (coffee shops, bookstores, etc.) are clinging to an access-for-
fee paid-service model.
>
> Between public parks, libraries, cafes, coffee-houses, and free public
> Internet, it's hard to find a place without coverage, at least where I
> live. And of course nearly every person whose home I would visit has DSL
> or Broadband available to use.
>

We travel in different circles, apparently! I admit that there's
enough free access even here in Denver that I wouldn't pay an outrageous
price for cellular data, (my monthy fee is less than a one-day access
pass at Starbucks) but it fills in the gaps, particularly if I don't
spend my entire day reading or drinking coffee! ;-)



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Todd Allcock wrote:
> At 13 Dec 2006 22:33:28 -0800 SMS wrote:
>
>> Personally, I don't see a big market for this data service. Apple users
>> are usually non-corporate users, and would have to pay for the service
>> themselves.
>
> Hard to make a coherent argument when we don't have the specifics, but
> I'd guess this will be a music/video download-centric service (i.e.
> $xx/month + $0.99/song) rather than a raw data one ($xx/MB.)
>
>> With so much free broadband available, most of which that is faster
>> than HSDPA, you really have to have a compelling need for ubiquitous
>> access to pay for HSDPA or EV-DO, or not care about the cost.
>
>
> I've got to move west! Everytime I see someone post about all this free
> broadband or free wi-fi everywhere I think "you obviously haven't been
> east of the Rockies in awhile!" ;-) In the 90% of the continental US NOT
> bordering the Pacific, wi-fi is not as ubiquitous as you think, and many
> businesses (coffee shops, bookstores, etc.) are clinging to an access-for-
> fee paid-service model.

LOL, one friend of mine told me that she had a hard time convincing her
husband to come to the city council meetings, where we were fighting
some developers, until she told him that he could sit in the council
chambers, use the free wireless (actually a choice of three or four free
networks), and drink free gourmet coffee provided by the coffee house
attached to the library next door.

Not only are most cities out here installing city-wide WiFI, but it's
almost a requirement for restaurants, hotels, and businesses to provide
it to their guests. Most homes of people I know have it available as
well. When I have people over I often will send them the access
information in advance, so they don't have to type in a long key.

For most people, it's no big deal to not have constant access, the
e-mail can wait, and if it's an emergency they'll be contacted by cell
phone. For business people that need constant access, the $60 per month
is no big deal. If the carriers dreamed about a large percentage of
their subscribers spending an extra $60 per month, then they're sadly
mistaken.

The broadband companies, and cellular carriers have been fighting free
Wi-Fi, but it's a losing battle.

I even did the unthinkable a few months ago, while at my in-laws house,
and used dial-up for a few minutes.

"SMS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Todd Allcock wrote:
> For most people, it's no big deal to not have constant access, the e-mail
> can wait, and if it's an emergency they'll be contacted by cell phone. For
> business people that need constant access, the $60 per month is no big
> deal. If the carriers dreamed about a large percentage of their
> subscribers spending an extra $60 per month, then they're sadly mistaken.

In the month since I've purchased a 8525 with WiFi always available to turn
on, without inserting a NIC, etc., I've yet to find a free hotspot that
would allow legal access. I admit I don't try often.

Years ago, a friend devised a litmus test for sailors. If someone looked up
at the piece of yarn on the shroud, and discovered they were sailing >into<
the wind, they could become a sailor.

For people that question the need for mobile Internet access, I just have
them sit in the passenger seat and connect to their most used favorite. If
they have an 'ah ha' moment, they want mobile access.

With the 3G announced with the 8525 Hermes and Blackjack, UMTS is $40/mon
and includes, in writing, permission for tethering. That's a pretty strong
draw for mobile connectivity.

On Wed, 13 Dec 2006 17:30:02 -0800, SMS <[email protected]>
wrote:

>"http://www.ipodnn.com/articles/06/12/13/apple.to.offer.mvno/"
>
>Argh, yet another MVNO.


SMS falls for a worthless rumor.