Offering a wide array of data services, U.S. Cellular’s easyedge(SM)
suite is popular and growing rapidly.
Data services are another driver of growth for U.S.
Cellular. easyedge, the company’s suite of data
services, launched late in 2003 with the introduction
of easyedge Phone Download Service. It’s been growing
exponentially since then. In addition to easyedge
Phone Download Service, the data services line also
offers Picture Messaging and, in select markets,
Wireless Modem service.
easyedge Phone Download Service
offers customers more than 250 downloadable applications,
ranging from ringtones to games and real-time
updates on news, weather, sports and traffic information.
And with the launch of nWeb wireless
Internet access in November 2004, easyedge
customers can surf the Web from their handsets
as well. nWeb also has a feature
unique to U.S. Cellular — password protection,
which allows parents to control web site access.
easyedge Picture Messaging, introduced early in 2004, is also proving popular. This mobile messaging service allows customers to send photos or images to other cell phones or e-mail addresses.
And easyedge is now available in all of U.S. Cellular’s markets, thanks to the completion of the CDMA 1X network upgrade that supports these popular data service offerings. Increased availability, enhanced features and services, and a growing trend for consumers to use and value these services in general all point to continued growth for U.S. Cellular in the data services arena.
The easyedge services complement
Mobile Messaging, U.S. Cellular’s
popular text messaging service. And the data services
are growing rapidly. In 2004, revenues for U.S.
Cellular's data services increased three-fold,
with data services representing $1.19 of the average
retail service revenue per customer per month,
for a total of $67 million, or 2.5 percent of
total service revenues.
U.S. Cellular continues to enhance its easyedge offerings. Initiatives for 2005 include plans to introduce AOL Instant Messaging, a feature expected to be in great demand by the important youth segment. In addition, the company is working to enable “data roaming” so easyedge customers can access the data services while traveling outside of U.S. Cellular’s service areas. U.S. Cellular is also working to enable video messaging through its Picture Messaging service. These enhancements work to make easyedge a tremendously robust suite of data services.
U.S. Cellular continues to enhance its other
service offerings as well. The company plans to
launch a “push-to-talk” service later in 2005.
This service features the ability for customers
to immediately connect with designated parties
in a “walkie-talkie” fashion. Many of U.S. Cellular's
business customers have indicated they would value
this instant communication, and the company is
pursuing the push-to-talk service for retail consumers
as well.
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