NEW YORK-Boston Communications Group Inc. launched a prepaid wireless service called
Passport, which it said is the first in the United States to permit calls from any wireless phone to anywhere in the
world.
Rogers Cantel Inc., Canada’s largest wireless carrier, introduced a nationwide version of Passport last
summer that it branded “Cantel AT&T Pay As You Go Star Service.”
“Our Pay As You Go Star
Service provides anyone with a wireless phone easy access to Cantel AT&T service-whether the phone is active or
inactive, whether it’s been programmed for Cantel AT&T or one of our competitors and whether it currently has a
phone number or not,” said Jeffery Locke, senior vice president of marketing for Rogers Cantel.
By accessing
individual prepaid accounts from any wireless phone, Passport enables multiple users to share a single handset by using
their own airtime, thereby reducing the risk of lending phones to others, Boston Communications said.
When
combined with Boston Communications’ international calling feature, Passport will give prepaid and postpaid wireless
customers the ability to dial internationally without having to post a large deposit or submit to lengthy credit card
qualification. This feature also is a first, according to the company.
BCGI used a BellSouth Mobility platform to
demonstrate the Passport service during the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association Wireless ’99 conference
in New Orleans.
“Because Passport makes it easy for consumers to gain access to wireless service, it will help
carriers tap new market segments and sources of revenue,” said E.Y. Snowden, chief executive officer and
president of Boston Communications.
