web'n'walk T-Mobile's 3G Internet Initiative

[3GScottishUser]

From MS Mobiles (29/06/2005):

T-Mobile launches web-n-walk also for Windows Mobile phones + new SDA smartphone coming
June 29, 2005 [General]
T-Mobile transfers Internet experience on PCs to cell phones... including MDA Compact Pocket PC phone and new SDA (!!!) Microsoft Smartphone!

More information from T-Mobile follows.

* * * * *

web’n’walk: T-Mobile launches open mobile Internet.
T-Mobile transfers Internet experience on PCs to cell phones
Easy spontaneous access to the World Wide Web with Sidekick II, MDA compact, Nokia 6680 and the new SDA model
Fast, user-friendly surfing with optimized Internet browsers
Worry-free offers: Internet-optimized devices with attractive price plans
T-Mobile is the first carrier in Europe to bring free Internet to mobile phones: web’n’walk is the name of the offer that T-Mobile is using to compile attractive packages for mobile users in the World Wide Web. The first web’n’walk offers are now available in Germany and Austria. In the course of the year, mobile Internet will also spread to Great Britain, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

The vital difference from mobile portals and their often restricted content is that web’n’walk gives T-Mobile customers not only far greater flexibility in Internet usage but also the advantages of free Internet, with optimized quality and low package prices. This offer from T-Mobile gives customers the opportunity to transfer Internet experience they have gained on their PCs to mobile scenarios, with the added advantage of the spontaneity and flexibility that are typical of cell phones.

“With web’n’walk we are giving vital impetus to mobile Internet usage,” says René Obermann, CEO at T-Mobile International. “We are paving the way to free Internet for our mobile customers, demonstrating once again that we are the innovation leader in the mobile communications market.”

“web’n’walk lets our customers click into their favorite sites wherever they happen to be, retrieve the information they require and subscribe to entertainment offers,” adds Ulli Gritzuhn, CMO at T Mobile International. “We expect all data-enabled cell phones from T-Mobile to be web’n’walk devices in five years’ time.”

To mark the launch, four cell phones will offer the new web’n’walk experience: Sidekick II, MDA compact, Nokia 6680 and the new SDA model. Sidekick II came to market in June and has a full-size keyboard and large color display – spelling maximum ease of use for Internet access. A special compression procedure accelerates retrieval and display of the Internet pages. E-mails are delivered automatically and promptly to their recipients via the mail push service.

MDA compact provides T-Mobile customers with a fast, easy-to-use access medium to the open Internet. To make MDA compact even speedier, the device now comes with an improved Internet browser.

The third cell-phone model in the web’n’walk launch offer is a Nokia 6680. With this compact device, users can, for example, use T-Mobile’s UMTS network (UMTS, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) to pick up e mails plus attachments at high speeds and for fast Internet searches. Special software also optimizes page representation in 262,000 colors on the Nokia 6680 display.

Around September, T-Mobile is due to introduce a fourth web’n’walk device, the new SDA model, which will attract above all a mass market. This full-size smart phone will have an optimized Internet browser for even faster surfing on the open Internet. T-Mobile also has plans to greatly expand its web’n’walk mobile device portfolio in the coming months.

“Our target is to attract several hundreds of thousands of new web’n’walk customers by the end of 2006,” René Obermann quotes the sales forecast for the new offer. “What’s more, we expect ARPU (average revenue per user) to climb significantly for customers using the mobile Internet.”

To ensure that Sidekick II and MDA compact users on the move can access the Internet offers they need with minimum effort, the Google search engine is preconfigured as the homepage, accessible via the Internet Explorer icon. In the future, T-Mobile and Google Inc. will cooperate closely on the new web’n’walk offers. They aim to further improve the comfort, benefit and speed of Internet access with cell phones from T Mobile. In addition to the search engine, users will find a list of interesting links. Here, they can click their way rapidly to RTL news, online weather forecasts or Postbank’s online offers. And of course users can replace this homepage with their own personal favorite at any time.

To mark the launch of the web’n’walk offer, T-Mobile is introducing new volume-based data options in Germany and, at the same time, making its existing offers even more attractive. For example, the new Data 30 option offers a monthly inclusive volume of 30 MB for mobile data transmission, instead of the previous 10 MB, and at a monthly price of only EUR 10. Once the inclusive volume is used up, a price of EUR 1.90 is charged for each additional MB. There is also a special attraction for everyone who surfs the mobile net with Sidekick II: the 30 MB limit for the Sidekick Data option is being lifted until the end of the year. This means that a real flat rate option is now available in T-Mobile Deutschland’s network for a monthly price of EUR 15.

Source: T-Mobile.


http://msmobiles.com/news.php/3982.html

[3GScottishUser]

One can clearly see the different agendas of the networks. At long last something other than basic (voice and text) customer aquisition seems to be developing.

Looking forward to more initiatives like the above.

[Jon3G]

It does not look like that is for the UK, it goes on about Germany

[Ben]

"In the course of the year, mobile Internet will also spread to Great Britain, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic."

So here will be a repeat of Germany, basically. Not long now...

[Jon3G]

Must have missed that

[Hands0n]

Being the Forum Cynic I'm betting that the EUR 10 will be a minimum of GBP10 by the time we get it. Why? Of course it will be for "exchange rate" reasons

Still - the suppressed Optimist in me says "Woo hoo! About time too!" Three and everyone else take note - this will be a big booster for T-Mobile if they get the UK package right - we are the nation, after all, with the highest per-head-of-population mobile phone ownership.

If they get this right, I predict that the kids will take this up big time particularly if MSN or an equivalent that will interoperate with MSN is provided. They live on the thing! Maintaining long distance friendships and contact with those they meet on holiday and suchlike.

Bring it on T-Mobile. Bring it on!!

[miffed]

Takes me back to 1999 / 2000 , when I started using tinternet & pop mail on my phones

Obviously , there is some reason the powers that be think this technology needs 10 years to "mature" - but I'm damned if I can think of it