OXFORD, United Kingdom—Swedish cell-phone operator Telia plans to offer consumers a free three-month trial of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) in an attempt to reverse the ongoing negative image that the mobile Internet continues to attract. The company will be the first in Sweden to provide prepaid customers with the opportunity to try GPRS.
Kenneth Karlberg, managing director of Telia Mobile, said the media debate regarding mobile Internet access is inflexible. “It’s time for the industry to stop being so negative. It should be looking at the opportunities instead. For instance, right now Telia offers more than 100 mobile Internet services and lots of SMS (short message service) services, and we are now giving our customers the chance to try these out with our free GPRS access.”
The free trial will enable Telia customers with GPRS cell phones, which probably means few prepaid users, to try GPRS and download up to 25 Megabits of data free as of 14 November, 2001. The trial period ends on 14 February, 2002.