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Bell Atlantic Mobile Brings the Web to Consumers' Fingertips with New Digital Wireless Phones

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Bell Atlantic Mobile is set to deliver the World Wide Web into the hands of consumers and mobile professionals with the introduction of wireless access to the Internet. The company will launch Web Access in all its East Coast markets on November 17, featuring Web-enabled digital wireless phones with built-in modems that allow customers to surf the Web, send and receive e-mail, get real-time stock market analysis and quotes, and set up customized personal Web pages.

Key Takeaways:

  • Bell Atlantic Mobile will launch Web Access in all its East Coast markets on November 17, featuring Web-enabled digital wireless phones with built-in modems.
  • The service will allow customers to surf the Web, send and receive e-mail, get real-time stock market analysis and quotes, and set up customized personal Web pages.
  • Web Access will be available for just $9.95 a month, in addition to the digital voice price plans, which begin as low as $19.99 a month.
  • The Web Access Microbrowser provides a lightning-quick connection to the Internet, at least five times faster than the standard landline modem.
  • The company plans to offer additional Web-enabled phones, including the Qualcomm PDQ 800, which has a built-in personal digital assistant, and the Motorola StarTac 7860.
  • Bell Atlantic Mobile has close to 200,000 customers using wireless data, and also provides flat-rate wireless access to the Internet from laptops, PDAs, and Windows CE devices.
  • The company expects the wireless data market to grow significantly, with the Yankee Group predicting it will reach $13.2 billion by 2003, up from $1.8 billion in 1998.
  • Bell Atlantic Mobile's Web Access will be available to customers with the Qualcomm 860 digital phone, which features a built-in microbrowser and will be sold starting at $119.99.

Statistics:

  • The estimated number of mobile professionals in the U.S. requiring constant access to e-mail, corporate intranets, and inventory is 40 million (Yankee Group).
  • The predicted market size for wireless data in the U.S. is $13.2 billion by 2003 (Yankee Group).
  • The predicted market size for wireless data in the U.S. in 1998 was $1.8 billion (Yankee Group).
  • The number of customers already using wireless data with Bell Atlantic Mobile is close to 200,000.
  • The cost of the Qualcomm 860 digital phone is $119.99, and the connection kit for a laptop is $79.99.

Sources:

  • PR Newswire, "Bell Atlantic Mobile Delivers the Web to Consumers' Fingertips with New Digital Wireless Phones" (November 8, 1998)
  • The Yankee Group, "Mobile.Net: The Next Generation of Wireless" (1998)
  • Bell Atlantic Mobile, "Web Access" (http://www.bam.com)

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