EarthLink Mobile Wireless service will let subscribers in Atlanta, Phoenix and San Diego connect to the Internet at speeds up to 128Kbps while on the move
The new service underscores EarthLink’s commitment to providing its subscribers with Internet access that fits their lifestyle and the way they use the Internet, be it dial-up, broadband or wireless. With EarthLink Mobile Wireless Powered by Ricochet, users work when, where, and how they want, replicating the in-home Internet experience virtually anywhere inside coverage areas without being tied to a phone jack. The service works indoors and out, and you can even connect when traveling at speeds up to 70 miles per hour in a taxi, on a commuter train home or other mass transit.
Our objective has always been to offer our members the convenience of connecting to the Internet in as many different ways as possible, said Tom Andrus, vice president of emerging technology at EarthLink. This new Ricochet-based service is as close as we’ve come to an on-demand Internet experience. Now EarthLink subscribers can work smarter and more efficiently, during what used to be considered downtime: between meetings, waiting at the airport or being driven from place to place.
Enabled through Metricom’s Ricochet technology, EarthLink Mobile Wireless lets subscribers stay connected anywhere in coverage areas, without a phone line. The service utilizes Metricom’s wireless data network, which operates at 1 MB and generally provides user speeds of 128Kbps. The design of the frequency-hopping, spread-spectrum technology ensures reliable connectivity virtually every time without dropped connections or busy signals within the coverage area.
Ricochet gives people high-speed wireless access to every kind of data anytime, anywhere, which dovetails perfectly with EarthLink’s subscriber base, said John Wernke, senior vice president, marketing and sales at Metricom. EarthLink customers are voracious Internet users, and now they can experience an entirely new way of staying connected to information wherever and whenever they need it.
EarthLink Mobile Wireless costs $79.95 for new subscribers, and current EarthLink dial-up or DSL subscribers can add the service for $59.95 per month. The service includes six mailboxes, 10 MB of personal Web space, unlimited wireless and dial-up service, and all the perks of EarthLink membership. The one-time cost for the modem is $100, and there’s a three-month minimum commitment. At present, it’s only available for Windows-based PCs, but a Mac version is expected in the future.
