Free Cell Phone Service: Are Corporations Racing to Fulfill the Need?

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Free Cell Phone Service: Are Corporations Racing to Fulfill the Need?

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The world's first fully advertising-funded mobile telecom provider

launched its free cell phone service in Britain on Monday, Sept. 24, 2008

http://uk.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=UKL2454798720070924

Eight months ago The International Herald Tribune ran a story entitled:
"For Watching Ads, Cellphone Users Will get Perks.
http://www.iht.com/bin/print.php?id=4271716

The article referenced the major U.S.telecommunications corporations Verizon,
Sprint and AT&T, as well as several smaller carriers and international based
corporations delving into cellphone advertising.  In paraphrasing the report, it
stated that cellphone advertising will be common place by the year 2008 and that
subscribers wpuld enjoy improved mobile Internet services and content provided
free or at reduced prices.

Virgin Mobile USA and Amp'd Mobile will reward customers for viewing ads by
lowering their cellphone bills.  

Xero Mobile, plans to distribute one million free cellphones on college
campuses across the United States this year and give customers 40 percent off on
their calling plans in exchange for watching four commercials a day. 

Virgin Mobile USA's  Sugar Mama program compensates its phone users with free
calling minutes for watching commercials, reading advertiser text messages and
taking surveys from brands.  A Finnish company,

Blyk, plans to introduce a free, ad-supported mobile phone service aimed at
16- to 24-year-olds, first in Britain and then elsewhere in Europe.

Google and the g-phone were still under wraps, so they were not mentioned. 
Ironically, the g-phone is still under wraps, but it now gets all the attention
and hype.

Eight months have past and we are (3) three months away from 2008. 

Where' s my free cell phone service? 

Are corporations really racing to fufill the need of
providing free cell phone services? 

Only time will tell.

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