DALLAS-Dobson Communications Corp. will use over-the-air technology from SmartTrust to meet the rapid growth of its GSM services, the carrier announced Wednesday.
Dobson, which operates under the Cellular One and Dobson Cellular Systems brands, will use the platform both for new subscriber activations and for existing customers moving from TDMA services to the GSM network. During the fourth quarter of 2004, more than 75,000 Dobson customers migrated to GSM calling plans, according to the carrier. By the end of last year, 26 percent of Dobson subscribers were on GSM calling plans.
The announcement builds on an existing relationship between Dobson and SmartTrust, a Swedish developer that provides OTA technology to operators including several Vodafone carriers and Cingular Wireless.
“In the last 18 months, Dobson has made significant progress in building out its GSM/GPRS network,” said Tom Morgan, senior vice president and chief information officer for Dobson Communications. “SmartTrust provides the ability to continually update files and applications on our subscribers’ GSM SIM cards, so that service settings are as appropriate to the subscriber as the day they left the point of purchase.”
