Cingular Tests Unlimited Calls To AT&T Landlines

from the it's-free,-for-$6 dept

Fresh off SBC's buyout of AT&T, its wireless unit, Cingular, is testing a program where some of its users can make unlimited calls to AT&T landlines for $6 a month. Cingular subscribers in Connecticut that use AT&T for local service and combine their local and wireless bills can sign up for the trial -- so it sounds like it will be pretty small. Other than playing follow the bouncing AT&T Wireless name, this is one of the first public signs of the merged company. Fixed-mobile convergence is a hot topic in telecom right now, with some companies actually merging the technologies, while others simply bundle the bills. All of this is set against the backdrop of a shift away from landlines -- so when many wireless plans already offer free mobile-to-mobile calling and people are slowly turning their backs on landlines (never mind the hundreds of unused minutes many people have each month), it's hard to see many people being too interested. Rather than make a play for the $6 per month in additional revenues, they'd do better to simply make it free to call AT&T landlines, using the feature as a competitive differentiator, as well as a loyalty tool and an incentive for people to hang on to their AT&T fixed lines.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    Steve, 30 Nov 2005 @ 10:04am

    what's the point?

    So, what's the advantage here? I can already call unlimited local and long distance with my T-Mobile account for a good monthly price. Why would I want to start worrying about what landline people are using?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Dusty, 30 Nov 2005 @ 10:28am

      Re: what's the point?

      Families would obviously care, my dad refuses to own/talk on a cell phone, but with this plan, I could talk to him on their regular line without eating up my minutes.

      Also, t-mobile has horrible coverage area (not that cingular is any better). If a company like Verizon that has land line and cell phone service AND better coverage than the other companies I've used (I won't even say that they have *good* coverage, just better), things would really start shaking up.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Brice, 30 Nov 2005 @ 10:51am

      Re: what's the point?

      Ditto! The only difference is that I can make unlimited long distance calls, local calls, and high-speed (1.5 Mbps) internet access on my Qwest landline for a good price. Why would I want to worry about what cell phone users are using?

      link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.