AT&T Wireless Shifts Into mMode

AT&T Wireless Services launched its mMode consumer Web service for mobile phones on Tuesday in a dozen markets in the U.S. The General Packet Radio Service offering will allow high-speed data transfers to and from wireless handsets.

AT&T Wireless tied the new offering to the mLife advertising campaign launched during the Super Bowl in late January. The service itself is modeled on the popular I-mode wireless service offered by Japanese mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo. DoCoMo owns 16 percent of AT&T Wireless. GPRS enables data transfers up to 144 kbps.

The mMode service includes features such as instant messaging, content downloads like sports scores or news stories, and the ability to connect with personalized data like address books and calendars.

In Need of a Handset

The service requires a handset compatible with the General System for Mobile Communications and GPRS wireless networks.

AT&T Wireless offers three compatible phones: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications' T68 model and Nokia's 8390 model, both at $199.99, and Motorola's P73821 Timeport model at $79.99. The company will soon launch a multiband handset from Siemens that will be capable of operating on wireless networks in Europe and Asia, AT&T Wireless said.

AT&T launched mMode service in Chicago; Detroit; Indianapolis; Seattle; Las Vegas; Phoenix; Portland, Oregon; Kansas City, Missouri; and the Florida markets of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and West Palm Beach. The company plans to begin mMode service in San Diego later this month, and will add cities as it upgrades its network throughout the year.

Basic service costs $2.99 a month, with additional charges of $0.02 per KB of data uploaded or downloaded. A $7.99 monthly pricing plan provides 1MB of data transfer without additional charges, and cuts the price per KB after that to $0.01. The premium plan at $12.49 provides 2MB of data before $0.01 per KB charges.