BT Cellnet first to roll out GPRS services

BT Cellnet has become the first mobile operator to roll out GPRS (general packet radio service) services, narrowly beating a similar offering from T-Mobile in Germany.

The technology offers businesses high-speed access to the internet and corporate networks over mobile phones.

But while the UK network operator is touting the development as a breakthrough, there are question marks over the way the company has chosen to charge for the services, given that the technology offers a packet-switched, always-on connection.

Pricing for GPRS services from BT Cellnet starts at £45 per month per phone on top of server software licences.

Stuart Newstead, general manager of Wireless Data Services at BT Cellnet, said: "The crucial thing is it's not by the minute, it's not time-based."

Val Jervis, principal consultant at Netcom Consultants, highlighted services from Dolphin and Tele2 which also charge per month for a certain quantity of data.

She said: "There is still a lot of confusion among the operators when it comes to charging for anything with packet data. Everyone is trying to work out the best way, and all eyes are on BT Cellnet."

John Davison, principal consultant at Ovum, was positive about the rollout. He said: "We're in a period of great experimentation, but this will help telecoms managers looking to budget for staff who need access to data on the move using GPRS. It is also sensible from BT Cellnet's point of view having an upper limit on usage - they don't want to be swamped by people downloading PowerPoint presentations."