TORONTO, Ontario, Canada-Rogers Cantel Inc. announced plans to introduce an all-in-one
messaging service Feb. 1 in Canada, using the Inter@ctive 950 pager from Research in Motion Ltd.
The Cantel
AT&T Interactive Messaging service will allow users to send and respond to messages between the RIM device and
Internet e-mail, fax machines, phones or alphanumeric pagers.
Essentially, it is the same network and service as that
offered by BellSouth Wireless Data Ltd. in the United States. Both services use Mobitex networks and use the RIM 950
pager. Eventually, the two operators hope to allow seamless roaming between the two networks so BellSouth U.S.
customers can roam into Canada and vice versa.
The Cantel service will be offered initially in Toronto, southwest
Ontario and Ottawa. However, network expansion efforts are underway, scheduled through May, to include Vancouver,
Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Quebec City, Winnipeg and Halifax to the coverage area.
Cantel said it will
offer three types of service plans-Short Messaging, Messaging Plus and Elite Messaging.
Short Messaging was
designed for confirmed pages, short responses and limited e-mail, the company said, for a monthly charge of $17 for
50,000 characters and an overcharge price of 40 cents per 1,000 characters over.
The Messaging Plus package was
designed for longer e-mail messages, group messaging and full text messaging, as well as confirmed pages and short
response messaging. It carries a $30 monthly fee for 250,000 characters and a 15 cent overcharge fee.
Finally, the
Elite Messaging plan was designed for heavy e-mail use, group messaging and detailed work orders. It costs $50 a
month for 500,000 characters, with a 10-cent overcharge fee. All service plans are based on yearly contracts.
The
RIM pager cost varies depending on the length of service contract. It is $600 for those choosing monthly airtime
contracts, $550 for those with yearly contracts and $475 for two-year contract customers. Cantel also included a lease
option of $27 a month during a two-year contract term.
