More Free WAP
First BTCellnet offered free WAP calls for the first 3 months with a Pay & Go mobile. Then, during July, they offered more free WAP calls for Pay & Go mobiles - with free WAP for Pay Monthly mobiles in August. Now, during September, they are offering free WAP calls to Pay & Go customers again.
Not that I'm complaining, despite a shaky start WAP proved useful during
July. My main use has been to check and send email while out and about. Another
use was checking
Big Brother news.
However, I've always said that 10p per minute is exceptionally high - especially when it's possible to check email from an Internet cafe like easyEverything for 5p per minute. And that's for full Internet access on proper computers. It's for this reason that I don't use WAP at all unless it's free.
Free "Mobile Internet" calls are a way of getting users hooked so they continue to use the service when it's not free. It obviously can't be working as they keep using the same incentive.
The truth is, WAP has never really taken off. I've found an increasing number of useful services from the likes of Lycos, Genie (when it works) and to a degree MSN (although some of their content is out of date or broken). With a bit more thought and effort, WAP (and wireless Internet in other forms) will almost certainly have the content it needs to be a success. The only thing holding it back is the high call charges.
WAP offers access to a wide a variety of services:
- Train timetables
- Horoscopes (for killing time on the train)
- Cinema information
WAP charges need to be reduced for it to be a success. There can be no justification for a 10p per minute charge. By setting the prices so high, the carriers have killed WAP before it even started.
