Cingular Tests Unlimited Calls To AT&T Landlines

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

Wed, Nov 30th 2005 9:31am — Carlo Longino

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.

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3 Comments

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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?
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- 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.
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- 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?
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