AirTouch Cellular plans to unveil a new version of its calling party pays service later this month.
AirTouch will launch the new service first in Colorado, followed by rollouts in all of its service areas. The product will address several problems carriers experience with CPP service, including high costs to subscribers, billing of untraceable calls to a customer and caller notification of increased charges, said Jonathon Marshall, spokesman for AirTouch.
“CPP, when done right, can be very exciting by encouraging customers to give out their phone numbers and leave their phones on by choice,” said Marshall.
Today, CPP accounts for about 10 percent of AirTouch’s customers. AirTouch has offered the service to a targeted market consisting of people who want to control their spending.
Calling party pays only works in local calling areas because carriers haven’t had a way to bill across long-distance networks. Carriers still have resistance from incumbent local exchange carriers that don’t want to help with billing.
“This product is designed to deal with the half of the equation that has to do with the wireless industry,” said Marshall.
AirTouch charges about $4 per month for CPP service, with per-minute rates at as much as 45 cents.
