Nextel Communications Inc. will soon announce commercial availability of wireless Internet service, people close to the company say.
According to the company’s Web site, its Nextel Online service already is available in 44 markets. Nextel is offering three flat-rate pricing packages ranging from $15 per month to $40 per month on top of its regular rate plans.
The service is unlimited and minutes aren’t deducted from customers’ monthly voice plans. The packet-based nature of the service won’t require customers to dial up for a connection.
Nextel did not return phone calls by RCR press time.
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Nextel is using only Microsoft Corp.’s MSN web portal for the service. The computer software company made a $600 million investment in Nextel last year, displacing Netscape as the portal provider. Most other carriers are using multiple portal providers to give their customers choices.
Nextel since last summer has been seeding the market with browser-capable handsets. The company said in February that about 25 percent of its customers have handsets with this capability.
The company’s Web site says Nextel Online services include customized MSN mobile alerts that deliver e-mail messages and news, weather, sports and stock quote information to handsets. Mobile Web allows customers to read and send e-mail from their hotmail accounts, browse MSNBC.com, view their MSN MoneyCentral portfolio, review travel itineraries from Expedia.com and get driving directions from MSN Yellow Pages. Nextel said the Mobile Web services are coming soon.
Customers also can make purchases from Amazon.com and access customized business applications from eDispatch.com, which allows the phone to become a mobile dispatch terminal.