>What makes you think this? I was thinking the same thing. To browse the
>web on a computer (desktop, laptop or handheld) using a mobile, it seems
>to be much cheaper to pay by the minute than by the packet, although that
>of course could change if want to look at one page for a long time etc. I
>guess the packet pricing was made for i-mode as we know it now so perhaps
pricing has interesting consequences for experience. Any sort of
*metered* payment, either per packet or per minute, reduces usage
substantially
(http://www.research.att.com/~amo/doc/history.communications0.abst).
i-mode has seen some good usage, but it is likely that had DoCoMo adopted
flat-fee pricing, usage and uptake would have been even faster (I'm not
advocating that they should have done this, just making an observation).
AOL experienced a similar thing when they switched from per-minute to
flat fee. AOL usage had grown very quickly, but it *really* mushroomed
when they made the switch.
As for is charging by minute cheaper than charging by packet -- it
depends on the price per minute vs. the price per packet. Here in the US,
where most carrier charge by minute, users feel time pressured when using
their mobile devices. This is *particularly* true when entering text
(say, a message to someone else) than when browsing for content.
So, when entering text, charging by packet may work out cheaper, but when
browsing content, charing by minute may be cheaper.
zimran
zimran@creativegood.com
212.736.2075
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Received on Sat Jan 20 16:55:43 2001