DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Douglas Scott Reuben) (06/25/91)
For those Connecticut-based cellular customers who are lucky enough to
subscribe to Metro Mobile - a small anouncement in their June bill:
Marketing News
Notice: Effective June 1st, 1991, Metro Mobile will be changing the
peak-time and non-peak-time billing hours, The present peak-
time hours of 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM will change. The NEW peak-time
hours will be 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Air Time charges reflecting
these changes will be reflected on your next statement.
Hmmmm ... isn't that nice? They tell me on a bill that arrives in
mid-June that I am going to pay more for using their service, starting
June 1st. (A friend of mine with Metro Mobile/Rhode Island hasn't
heard from them about this yet, so perhaps this only applies to CT
customers.)
At a time when some companies are lowering their rates (as has Cell
One/ Boston), isn't it interesting to see Metro raising theirs ... I
dunno why, but they must be doing awfully well! (Actually, I do know
why, at least in part -- Metro Mobile can connect, via DMX, to NYC; SNET
can not, and NYNEX/NYC has no Follow Me Roaming, so many customers
have no choice but to use Metro Mobile if they travel to NY.)
By the way, I noticed in the "RSA Report" in {Cellular Business
Magazine} that Connecticut RSA#1 (357) was awarded to Pikeville
Cellular Partnership, and was granted a Construction Permit in
Litchfield. This is along the US-7 route that Metro Highbill wants to
get its hands on.
Is this what Metro is talking about when they say that someone else
got the permit, and they are "negociating" to operate there?
What basically happens? A partnership is set up to bid for the permit,
and if the FCC issues it, (of course after the partnership proves it
has the financial ability to construct the system), it can just sell
out to Metro Mobile, usually for lots of $$$$?
Or will the Partnership operate the system as part of Metro Mobile? I
wonder what it takes to be considered for a permit ... sounds quite
lucrative!
(I note that SNET got both the RSAs in that area. Just luck, or do the
partnerships usually go after the "A"s?)
I noted about a month ago that Metro One/NYC will be converting to
Ericsson (sp? sorry, forgot again!) switches on June 14th. This has
been pushed back to mid-July. I'll post a frim date when I hear from
Metro One.
GTE Mobilnet/SF has announced that they will be converting to AT&T
switches by the 1st quarter of 1992, and that they will the only
company in the country to do so by then. According to them, this
should help speed up FMR for roamers outside of CA and Nevada.
Doug dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu dreuben@wesleyan.bitnet