CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.-Sprint Corp. wireless affiliate UbiquiTel Inc. said it has launched CDMA2000 1x EV-DO services in its Boise, Idaho, and Reno, Nev., markets as part of Sprint’s rollout of high-speed wireless data services.
“We’re thrilled to be the first wireless operator in Boise and Reno to launch our new wireless high-speed data service and expect to continue to leverage Sprint PCS Vision as an industry-leading data product,” said Donald Harris, chairman and chief executive officer of UbiquiTel.
UbiquiTel noted its EV-DO service covers about 1 million residents, and that it plans to expand the service to half of its coverage area by the end of next year. The affiliate is licensed to cover 10.8 million potential customers in parts of California, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.
UbiquiTel said it will follow Sprint’s EV-DO pricing model, which provides either a tiered per-megabyte offering beginning at $40 per month for 40 MB of data transmission, or an unlimited access plan for $80 per month. UbiquiTel initially will offer EV-DO-capable PC cards from Sierra Wireless and Novatel Wireless, with plans to launch EV-DO-enabled personal digital assistants and handsets by the end of the year. UbiquiTel initiated an early EV-DO trial with Sprint in its Boise market in late 2002 using Lucent Technologies Inc. infrastructure and Sierra PC cards.
