If you’re a Cingular Wireless L.L.C. customer, having an out-of-date wireless phone is going to cost you.
The nation’s largest wireless carrier will soon start charging customers an additional $5 each month if they have an analog or TDMA handset.
As of the end of the second quarter, Cingular reported that 98 percent of its minutes were carried on its GSM network and 92 percent of its customer base was GSM-equipped.
Cingular spokesperson Rochelle Cohen said that as the number of analog and TDMA customers dwindle, “the per-customer cost of using the network is increasing … which is why we made the decision to impose the new charge.”
She noted that Cingular routinely offers customers incentives to upgrade their handsets, although the incentive varies by customer and added that “typically, in order to get a discounted handset or free handset, you would have to sign a contract.”
Customers who do not want to sign up for a new service contract can always consider Cingular’s GoPhone service, Cohen added.
The new charge will start appearing on wireless bills in September and, since it affects about 4.7 million customers, will generate about $23.5 million each month for Cingular. The charge is supposed to help nudge customers toward the carrier’s newer GSM network.
Cingular has said that it is on track to turn off both its TDMA and analog networks in 2008.
