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3 Mobile Promises All-You-Can-Skype |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Friday, 17 November 2006 |
Hutchison Whampoa's 3
networks have collaborated with a key group of industry players to
launch a new integrated service and pricing plan that will allow
subscribers to access a bundle of broadband Internet services, such as
Skype and Instant Messaging, on a flat rate data plan based on a 'fair
use' policy.
The new services, to be rolled out across 3's 3g networks globally
beginning with the United kingdom in December, bundles services from
Skype, Sling TV, Orb MyCasting, web browsing and Instant Messaging
services from Yahoo! Microsoft's Live and Google.
The company is calling it the X-Series from 3 and it signals a change
in the was mobile phone operators charge for their data services, which
are traditionally on the basis of per MB or per unit.
This will allow many of the dreams of mobile computing to be realised
by the broader user community. By teaming up with a number of leading
web-based companies to deliver services over the 3G platform, 3 brings
a ready-to-use set of core applications along with the new pricing
model.
Customers will be able to make unlimited calls from their mobile using
Skype, so long as they remain within the as yet undisclosed 'fair use'
terms. The broadband Internet access fees will be charged on top of
regular
phone subscription charges. There will be a tiered structure with users
wanting to access features from Sling (TV) and Orb (PC access) paying a
high fee.
Canning Fok,
Group Managing Director of Hutchison Whampoa, said: “This is the
Internet as it was meant to be and what people have been waiting for.
Mobile broadband is the natural next step for mobile services,
extending the full power of the Internet to mobile handsets.
"By
partnering with the leaders of the Internet and the leading handset
makers, the X-Series from 3 will give everyone access to more of what
they want, when they want it, and however much of it they want, all
free when they use it.”
Frank Sixt,
Group Finance Director of Hutchison Whampoa,
said: “We believe that giving our customers the benefit of the
favourable economics of the broadband world will lead more customers to
join our network. That is the proposition the 3 Group will be putting
forward in all of its markets under the X-Series. This is why we
created 3, and what our network was designed to deliver. The X-Series
heralds important changes in the business model for mobile media
andInternet. Moving away from unit charges will set mobile users free
to enjoy broadband services without fear of ‘bill-shock’.”
The services will be offered initially on only two handsets, the Nokia N73 and the Sony Ericsson W950i.
www.three.com.au
http://xseries.three.com
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