Mass Market Email From Seven & Sprint

Seven and Sprint have partnered to deliver a mass market email solution for consumers. The solution uses a Java-based client and SMS to create a Push-like experience. This means the solution will work on most Sprint phones and be billed like SMS.

Here's what Sprint had to say:

http://biz.yahoo.com/indie/061206/473_id.html?.v=1

Cable Goes Wireless

Comcast will be the first cable provider to bring wireless service to the triple-play bundle. For an extra $33 a month, Comcast customers can now add a cellular phone to their account with 200 minutes of airtime.

Cox, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Advance/Newhouse Communications have all been engaged in bundled wireless trials since last November's announcement of a $200 million partnership with Sprint. Time Warner has been testing dual-mode service that allows seamless roaming between home VoIP Wi-Fi and Sprint's mobile network.

You may recall this same cast of characters, under the name SpectrumCo (original), gobbled up a heftly chunk of spectrum at a recent FCC AWS auction - technically enough to make them the nation's fifth largest wireless provider.

So what does it all mean? Well, given that Verizon, BellSouth, Qwest and SBC all have their own wireless bundles in market today, it seems clear that cable is still trying reach parity. However, the investment they've made in spectrum and with Sprint give them ample room to grow.

Here's what Reuters says:

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2006-11-28T213732Z_01_N28279743_RTRUKOC_0_US-COMCAST-WIRELESS.xml&WTmodLoc=TechNewsHome_C2_technologyNews-1

Much Ado About Mobile Instant Messaging

Mobile instant messaging is still a real prickly pear. How does a service provider launch it without cannibalizing their precious SMS revenues? That's what Ovum estimates is the 10B question... in 2009, anyway.

Take a gander at OZ -- a company that has made giving IM a mobile makeover their mission in life. Today they announced raising 34M in their sophmore round of funding. This comes on the heals of over 21 announced deals with mobile providers including Bell Mobility, Sprint, Cingular, AllTel and Telus. Take that Comverse.

Learn something about OZ...

http://www.oz.com/

But wait, there's more... same day, Neustar buys FollowWap for 139M. Another mobile instant messaging provider, another huge payday. Neustar claims that FollowWap was sitting on revenues of about 25M for 2006 and a customer list that includes the Vodafone group.

Learn something about Followap...

http://www.followap.com/