A startup carrier is promoting unlimited, contract-free cellular voice, data, and messaging services for $70 per month. "Zer01," launched yesterday, uses IP for all its services, including voice, and initially works only with unlocked Windows phones such as the Pharos Traveler 117 (left), the...
company says.
The Zer01 service has been beta-testing since April, and yesterday was the service's "public launch," according to the company. A $70 monthly fee, inclusive of taxes and fees, will provide unlimited voice, data, and messaging services, reportedly even allowing users to connect their laptops by tethering them to a phone, claims Zer01.
The GSM-based cellular service, with support for GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access), was to have been available nationwide starting this month. But there's a catch, a CNET story by Kent German reports: You can't purchase service or phones on the Zer01 web site, so you'll need to find a distributor. The only one so far is a firm called Buzzirk Mobile, which doesn't yet appear to be taking orders either, German adds.
Background
Existing MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) simply buy capacity on a wholesale basis from carriers and resell it to their own customers. Zer01 is more than a MVNO, the company claims, because it has its own IP backbone, and only uses carrier networks -- apparently those of AT&T and T-Mobile, in this case, though that wasn't confirmed -- to interconnect and roam.
Zer01 says all of the services on its network will be implemented as data, including voice calling. The use of VoIP will help bypass carrier charges and usage restrictions, and the company claims its implementation works well even on slower GPRS networks.
Because of Zer01's IP-based approach, the process of getting a phone to work on its network will apparently be a little more complicated than simply taking an unlocked GSM phone -- if you're lucky enough to have one -- and simply slotting in a new SIM card. However, the company says that, with software modifications, customers should be able to use any Windows Mobile 6 GSM phone. The development, showcasing the openness of Windows Mobile devices, could be a boon to those who want to use advanced GSM devices that are already available in Europe, but not yet supported by other U.S. carriers.
Zer01 is selling GSM phones including, from left to right, HTC's Diamond, Touch 3G, and TyTyn II, and Pharos's Traveler 117 and 127 (Click any for further information)
Zer01 says it will sell five different pre-modified Windows phones to its customers directly. As pictured above from left to right, they're HTC's Diamond, Touch 3G, and TyTn II, plus Pharos's Traveler 117 and 127. Though pricing wasn't disclosed, Zer01 said those purchasing the phones will receive a discount -- but not the hefty subsidy provided by traditional carriers.
Apparently the network may be compatible with Blackberries, Android devices, and "jailbroken" Apple iPhones in the future. But for now, Windows Mobile devices are the only way to go, according to the company.
Ben Piilani, CEO of Zer01, stated, "Many years of research and testing have culminated in the public launch this week of the new, truly unlimited voice, data and web mobile wireless service. Thanks to the ingenuity of the Zer01 Mobile engineering team, our new Veritable Mobile Convergence technology allows each smartphone user to make voice calls or transmit data through a VoIP system."
An interview with Zer01 CEO Ben Piilani Source: Buzzirk Mobile (click to play)
Further information
According to Zer01, its service will cost approximately $70 per month for unlimited voice and data calling in the U.S., plus another $10 a month for unlimited long-distance calling to landlines in 40 other countries. Further information, including a prospective coverage map, is available from the company's website, here.
Buzzirk Mobile, referenced above, can be found here. Meanwhile, Kent German's CNET story is located here.
