News

Sprint, AT&T Boost Wireless

Sprint PCS Group announces a wireless e-mail solution that does not require synchronization, and AT&T gets on board the Home RF Working Group.

by Roy Mark and Thor Olavsrud of internetnews.com [January 9, 2002]

Sprint PCS Group used the 2002 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas Tuesday to introduce its latest wireless e-mail solution that allows users to gain access to their corporate e-mail—without synchronization—via their Sprint PCS Phones or handhelds. The service will be available later this quarter. No pricing was announced.

Customers will be able to download and install the desktop software for the new e-mail service via a CD or web site. Compatible with both Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes, the software is designed to allow customers to register for real-time mobile access to their enterprise applications. The software was developed by developed by Seven of Redwood City, Calif.

Once registered, customers will gain mobile access to their corporate applications from a Sprint PCS Phone or other wirelessly enabled device connected to the Sprint's nationwide PCS network. The software is also designed to give customers the ability to access and send files stored on their computer hard drive with no synchronization required.

"The appeal and accessibility of this service extends beyond the hard core road warrior. Anyone that wants access to their Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes applications on their Sprint PCS Phone will be able to take advantage of it," said Jay Highley, vice president for business marketing in Sprint's wireless division.

According to Sprint officials, corporate or personal information can be accessed on a Sprint wirelessly enabled device, or on a computer with Internet access to the Sprint PCS web site. For example, in addition to using their wireless phones or devices, a sales representative could use a computer at a client's office, airport or Internet cafe to access their e-mail and files stored on the corporate network. This includes contacts for both global and personal directories.

Meanwhile, AT&T Corp. was also on the move. It may have shed its AT&T Broadband subsidiary, but the company is not giving up on all broadband technologies. On Monday the company signaled its intentions with plans to make a "controlled introduction" of DSL service this year, and then followed up Tuesday by joining the HomeRF Working Group as a contributor member.

"AT&T looks forward to working with HomeRF members and other home networking groups to develop new applications and to offer a smooth migration path from today's analog telephone services to a new generation of multimedia services we'll offer over AT&T's broadband networks," said Steve Huels, transport products and services vice president, AT&T Consumer.

AT&T seems eager to exploit the latest version of HomeRF, HomeRF 2.0. The company said the standard's new voice capability, combined with AT&T's advanced voice and data services, will give AT&T customers both high-speed Internet access and the ability to make telephone calls over broadband connections that have the same quality as those made over traditional telephone lines. The standard also supports up to eight voice connections, which would allow the company to push extra services, even in homes in which the wiring and RJ-11 phone jacks only support two telephone lines.

"By using the license-free 2.4 GHz frequency band and integrating voice, data and entertainment on the telephone handset, we hope to make HomeRF the worldwide cordless phone standard," said Ken Haase, chair of the HomeRF Working Group.

AT&T's decision to join the HomeRF Working Group builds on its announcement Monday that it will issue a tracking stock for its consumer business, which, along with working to offer local service in markets it expects to be profitable, will also make a push in DSL using the assets it acquired last spring from NorthPoint Communications.

Betsy Bernard, president and chief executive officer of the consumer division, told investors Monday that the company expects the DSL operations to be profitable in three years.

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