DEL MAR, Calif.—Great Call Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced the launch of a new mobile virtual network operator called Jitterbug, named after the dance craze that originated in the 1930s and popularized by band leader Cab Calloway. The MVNO will sell phones for “baby boomers and their parents,” and will offer service plans starting at $10 per month and phones for around $150.
The Jitterbug phones, which run on CDMA networks, are designed to simplify making and receiving voice calls for those who find current offerings too gadget-y or complex. The phones feature large buttons, large, easy-to-read text, and an ear cushion for improved sound quality. The devices also offer a dial tone for those comforted by vestiges of outmoded technology.
GreatCall touts a “live, friendly operator”—surely a comforting thing of the past—for call-related support and secure access to one’s address book, apparently deemed too complicated to include on the Jitterbug handsets.
The companies take to heart a Telephia Inc. survey that found that nearly one-third of Americans aged 55 or older said that a mobile phone’s most important feature was its ability to make and receive calls simply.
