No Strings: McCaw Aggressively Rolling Out AirData

Feeling the need to match the hype of their original roll-out plans, the Wireless Data Division of McCaw Cellular Communications recently announced the official launch of their AirData Business Service employing the Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) protocol.

The service, which is available immediately in Miami, will make a staged introduction through the rest of the United States starting with Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, and Tulsa by the end of June, and continuing on with New York and Pittsburgh by summer time.

McCaw estimates that in excess of 75 percent of the company’s service areas will be covered by the end of the year.

True to its data-oriented model, AirData service charges are calculated on the amount of data sent, in contrast with the amount of time used on conventional circuit-switched cellular systems. This enables a user to maintain a virtual connection throughout the day without incurring unnecessary charges.

The AirData Business Service offers two options, suitable for two different data usage models. The Flex Plan is designed for people who intend to transfer fewer than 300 KB per month, while the Select Plan features a rate structure that is optimized for higher-volume users. More significantly, the AirData prices are consistent throughout the markets served by McCaw Cellular with no additional charges for roaming and long distance.

McCaw was first to offer CDPD network service in November, 1993, and has since initiated more than 50 pilot programs throughout the United States.

McCaw Cellular Comm.
Beth Bousley
10230 N.E. Points Drive
Kirkland, WA 98033
(206) 803-4050
(206) 803-4601 (fax)
http://www.airdata.com