The WAP Connection

Surfing the Web. Checking e-mail accounts and movie listings. Getting stock quotes. Verifying flight times. These are features the dot-com generation is hoping to find available on its handsets. Convenience is key, and customers are looking to be disconnected from the wireline outlet.

Nextel
Total Hold Time: 3 minutes
Transfers/IVR Layers: 3
CSR: Hello. This is customer care. This is (name) speaking. What can I help you with today?
WR: My friend gets weather reports, movie listings and stock quotes on her phone. Do you offer those services?
CSR: On Nextel phones, yes we do. We have the Nextel Online service rate plans, and stock quotes, flight services, weather — all that comes to your phone.
WR: And she also is able to surf the Web and check her e-mail — can I do that?
CSR: Yes. They are two separate packages. You have your normal cell time and then you have your packet-data services on another package. But it's only about $14.95 a month for the packet-data services by itself.
WR: Is a special phone needed?
CSR: Any of the new phones — the i1000plus, i700plus or i500plus — will do that for you.

Rural Cellular
Total Hold Time: 4 minutes
Transfers/IVR Layers: 1
CSR: Customer service. This is (name). How can I help you?
WR: My friend can view weather reports, flight times, movie listings and stock quotes on her phone. Do you provide those services?
CSR: Let me see ... Currently our coverage area is in three states — Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. What is your home base?
WR: (Gives city).
CSR: OK. We do have GSM service out of that city. Can I put you on hold for a minute?
WR: Sure.
(On hold)
CSR: OK. Thanks for holding. I just spoke with my supervisor, and we do have something called TypeTalk, and that's on our TDMA digital.
WR: What does that allow you to do?
CSR: Anybody can send you e-mail from their computer, like you see on TV where they send e-mail and stock reports — I can't remember what company that is. They would ask you for your e-mail address and you would have a cellular e-mail address to give them.
WR: Is it possible to surf the Web?
CSR: It's just receiving — we don't have the wireless Internet currently. That's something on the horizon.
WR: Do I need a certain brand of phone for the service to work?
CSR: It would require a TDMA digital phone. There are different types — Nokia, Motorola and Ericsson have one. There are different options available but yes, it is a specific type of phone.

US West
Total Hold Time: 3 minutes
Transfers/IVR Layers: 1
CSR: Thank you for calling US West Wireless. This is (name). How can I help you today?
WR: My friend is able to access weather reports, stock quotes, flight times and movie listings on her phone, and I was wondering if that was something you offer?
CSR: Yes we do. That is a feature under our Data Mail Services, and you actually can qualify for some of those items for free based on your price plan.
WR: Would you also be able to surf the Web and check e-mail messages?
CSR: That feature is an additional $14.95 a month. If you get the browser, you may as well not bother with those other things you mentioned because with the browser, you can access all that and more without paying for additional features that would do the same thing.
WR: Is it just like the Web on a computer monitor?
CSR: No. No telephone has pictures right now. Nothing but text.
WR: Do I need a special phone?
CSR: What the condition is, is whether you buy a phone that is capable of that or not. Nokia phones can't handle Web browsers whereas we sell Qualcomm phones that are Web capable. Nokia's don't have that software. We do carry a Motorola StarTac as well. If you have access to the Internet, you can visit www.uswestwireless.com and check out all our stuff there.

Mystery Caller is Wireless Review's ongoing series of random calls to service providers to determine how a customer might be treated and the accuracy of distributed information.