Telstra Claims A World First
The Age
Monday June 3, 1996
TELSTRA MobileNet is claiming a world first with its offer to digital mobile phone customers of a fully integrated remote- access Internet service.
Telstra says this is the first time digital customers will have been able to connect their mobile phone to a laptop computer and access the Internet.
Normal mobile airtime charges will apply and be set at the short-distance charging rate, regardless of where the customer is using the service. There will be no extra charge for the service itself.
Telstra's wireless data manager, Paul Schofield, said customers surfing the Net through other IAPs are typically charged subscriptions of between $25 and $50 in addition to the normal airtime charges.
However, the service will not be available to analogue users or to customers of other users.
Schofield said MobileNet Digital was now leading industry operators around the world. ``Our customers are being offered first use of one of the fastest-growing and most important international business tools," he said. ``Telstra is committed to maintaining its competitiveness by adding value to customers' basic network services."
To access the new service, users will need a laptop with PCMCIA slot, data-capable digital mobile phone and data card, as well as the Digital Internet installation kit.
Telstra said the new service was geared to support the functionality of the new Nokia 9000 personal communicator, launched at CeBit in Hanover in March and expected here later this year.
MobileNet Digital Internet customers have access to e-mail, World Wide Web, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Telnet. Telstra has also done a deal with Netscape Communications for a special Telstra MobileNet version of the industry-standard Netscape browser. MobileNet's Netscape browser comes configured for MobileNet GSM and cannot be modified.
Schofield said installation of the browser was easy and could be carried out by a novice in less than five minutes.
Dialling the Internet has been made simple with a four-digit phone number, 1-NET, otherwise known as 1-638.
© 1996 The Age