Telenor launches GPRS without subscription
Fornebu
8 minute read
On 1 February, Telenor launches their new mobile system, the GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). With GPRS, you pay only for what you use, and there is no subscription fee for the service.
«This is an important step towards inexpensive total access to the Mobile Internet for everyone. Our pricing model enables you to pay for exactly what you use. Using GPRS, it will be possible to be continuously logged on to the Internet as the price of the service depends on the quantities of data you send or download from WAP pages or E-mail. Another advantage is that you are available for voice calls while simultaneously being hooked up to the Internet,» says Jo Heldaas, Information Manager in Telenor Mobil.
The GPRS network has been in trial operation for several weeks, and Telenor has had only minimal run-in problems. The customer directories have been updated during the past few weeks, so that Telenor Mobil subscription customers can now utilise the system. Prepay customers will be able to start using GPRS is the course of this year.
Prices
Because the user does not occupy an entire radio channel, as is the case with normal mobile phones, one will be charged only for data which is actually sent or downloaded, meaning that time-based rates will not be appropriate with respect to GPRS traffic.
Introductory prices which are valid up to 1. July 2001. The Pricing model is monthly-based.
·Up to one megabyte (MB), it costs NOK 0.10 per kilobyte you download or send.
·For the rest of the month, each kilobyte subsequently cost NOK 0.025.
You will pay for each bit you download or send - not for each commenced megabyte, meaning that the first WAP page you enter will cost NOK 0.12-0.20, as will the next one, until you have exceeded the use of one megabyte, which corresponds to approximately 800 WAP pages. Then, the price goes down to NOK 0.03 to 0.05 per WAP page. In practice, this means that if you download 10 WAP pages each day, this will amount to approximately NOK 40-60 per month.
No registration will be required for using GPRS, and no registration fees or subscription fees or other fixed charges will be made. At this time, there will be no initial start-up cost for each session as the telephones presently on the market are not adapted.
What is 1 megabyte?
1 megabyte (MB) corresponds to about 800 normal WAP pages, 400 e-mails (2,5 kilobytes each) or a 90-page Word document.
Services
GPRS can be used both for Internet and WAP, and therefore also for Intranet, IntraWAP and e-mail services. You will find hundreds of various services on Telenor Mobils mobile Internet portal djuice.no, such as news services, weather forecasts, traffic information, banking services, map services and games. All of todays WAP services function with GPRS. In addition, in the course of March this year, Telenor Mobil is planning to launch services especially made for GPRS, among them a separate GPRS version of IntraWAP, the service that provides access to a business e-mail and calendar system.
Speed
The speed of data transfer on GPRS is somewhat higher than regular GSM, but this depends on the type of terminal being used. Using a current terminal model, typical speed will be up to 30 kbits/sec., but new, faster terminals will be on the market in the course of the year. With the new models which will soon be available on the market, there will be no «speed limits» in Telenors network.
2.5G
GPRS is often referred to as 2.5 G, indicating the halfway mark between the second (GSM) and third (UMTS) generation of mobile telephony systems. When Telenor Mobil opens its third generation network in the autumn, it will in essence be covering densely populated areas, while in contrast, GPRS covers 96 percent of the population. Our aim is that, using the GPRS network, the services offered through the third generation network will function in a lighter version. In the future, for example, you should be able to view news with live pictures where UMTS coverage is available. When you leave an UMTS-covered area, you will still be able to view the same news services, only with still pictures.
Telenor Mobil
Telenor Mobil is a company in Telenor Mobile Communications (TMC). This is the business area responsible for Telenor's mobile operations comprising voice, data, Internet, content services and electronic commerce in the Norwegian and the international market. Telenor Mobil has attained a leading position in the Norwegian market with a market share of approximately 70 per cent. TMC has approximately 5,3 million subscribers -2,2 million in Norway and approximately 3,1 abroad as of September 2000. This estimate is based on our owner shares in 16 mobile communications companies.
The GPRS network has been in trial operation for several weeks, and Telenor has had only minimal run-in problems. The customer directories have been updated during the past few weeks, so that Telenor Mobil subscription customers can now utilise the system. Prepay customers will be able to start using GPRS is the course of this year.
Prices
Because the user does not occupy an entire radio channel, as is the case with normal mobile phones, one will be charged only for data which is actually sent or downloaded, meaning that time-based rates will not be appropriate with respect to GPRS traffic.
Introductory prices which are valid up to 1. July 2001. The Pricing model is monthly-based.
·Up to one megabyte (MB), it costs NOK 0.10 per kilobyte you download or send.
·For the rest of the month, each kilobyte subsequently cost NOK 0.025.
You will pay for each bit you download or send - not for each commenced megabyte, meaning that the first WAP page you enter will cost NOK 0.12-0.20, as will the next one, until you have exceeded the use of one megabyte, which corresponds to approximately 800 WAP pages. Then, the price goes down to NOK 0.03 to 0.05 per WAP page. In practice, this means that if you download 10 WAP pages each day, this will amount to approximately NOK 40-60 per month.
No registration will be required for using GPRS, and no registration fees or subscription fees or other fixed charges will be made. At this time, there will be no initial start-up cost for each session as the telephones presently on the market are not adapted.
What is 1 megabyte?
1 megabyte (MB) corresponds to about 800 normal WAP pages, 400 e-mails (2,5 kilobytes each) or a 90-page Word document.
Services
GPRS can be used both for Internet and WAP, and therefore also for Intranet, IntraWAP and e-mail services. You will find hundreds of various services on Telenor Mobils mobile Internet portal djuice.no, such as news services, weather forecasts, traffic information, banking services, map services and games. All of todays WAP services function with GPRS. In addition, in the course of March this year, Telenor Mobil is planning to launch services especially made for GPRS, among them a separate GPRS version of IntraWAP, the service that provides access to a business e-mail and calendar system.
Speed
The speed of data transfer on GPRS is somewhat higher than regular GSM, but this depends on the type of terminal being used. Using a current terminal model, typical speed will be up to 30 kbits/sec., but new, faster terminals will be on the market in the course of the year. With the new models which will soon be available on the market, there will be no «speed limits» in Telenors network.
2.5G
GPRS is often referred to as 2.5 G, indicating the halfway mark between the second (GSM) and third (UMTS) generation of mobile telephony systems. When Telenor Mobil opens its third generation network in the autumn, it will in essence be covering densely populated areas, while in contrast, GPRS covers 96 percent of the population. Our aim is that, using the GPRS network, the services offered through the third generation network will function in a lighter version. In the future, for example, you should be able to view news with live pictures where UMTS coverage is available. When you leave an UMTS-covered area, you will still be able to view the same news services, only with still pictures.
Telenor Mobil
Telenor Mobil is a company in Telenor Mobile Communications (TMC). This is the business area responsible for Telenor's mobile operations comprising voice, data, Internet, content services and electronic commerce in the Norwegian and the international market. Telenor Mobil has attained a leading position in the Norwegian market with a market share of approximately 70 per cent. TMC has approximately 5,3 million subscribers -2,2 million in Norway and approximately 3,1 abroad as of September 2000. This estimate is based on our owner shares in 16 mobile communications companies.