(keitai-l) vodafone cuts throat for 315yen?

From: Nick May <nick_at_kyushu.com>
Date: 10/15/05
Message-Id: <22075715-E2E0-4317-9282-F40EF1BCB83A@kyushu.com>
http://japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=4&id=351903
<snip>
Cell phone operator Vodafone KK said Tuesday it will begin a service  
on Nov 1 that will allow a subscriber to converse and exchange email  
with a designated person limitlessly for a fixed monthly fee of 315 yen
</snip>

(315 yen is about 2.37 euros, or 1.57 pounds sterling)

from the pdf...

http://www.vodafone.jp/english/release/2005/051011e.pdf

"The service stands for the ability to call and mail the person one  
loves most without worrying about the cost"

What is to stop one being one's own sweetheart? (Yes yes, I know, get  
thee inside me Narcissus!) I.e, opening a connection between two  
phones one owns, one of which is connected to a computer, and it's  
broadband connection, hence Skype, browsing etc, via  bluetooth.  
THAT's just a matter of software at the  "terminal" end...

In other words, keeping the connection open permanently, 24/7, and  
browsing, Skyping, etc through one's own broadband connection...  
Robert X Cringley had a piece about exactly this linked too off  
Slashdot a while ago, you may recollect.

Will Voda really eat the charges? Are they relying on controlling the  
handsets to make this impossible?

The min rental on a 702NK (running Symbian, hence fairly "open") is  
what - 3500yen or so? So for 3815 yen (approx) fee I could, with the  
right software, have a permanent connection to the net, cheap  
international calls, etc etc...

Is this inspired business, or desperation?

Nick
Received on Sat Oct 15 18:49:08 2005