BT Cellnet launches patchy GPRS service

BT Cellnet today launched its high-speed wireless data service - but coverage is patchy and major customers have no plans to use the network for several weeks.

The general packet radio service (GPRS) service, which was launched a week early, will enable users to download information at speeds of 27Kbps. Existing GSM phones offer speeds of 9.6Kbps.

The GPRS service is available for corporate customers in "the South of England", according to BT Cellnet. But this doesn't include London, the UK's largest city. However, there will be coverage on the outskirts of Birmingham in time for next week's Networks Telecom 2000 show.

BT's corporate GPRS applications will provide business users with so-called 'always on' access to intranet services, such as email and calenders, using a portable computer with a mobile phone. All equipment, including the GPRS-enabled Motorola Timeport handset, is now available.

BT said it has received a lot of interest about the service and a number of orders are currently "being processed". Customers who have signed-up include Halifax and Littlewoods.

Halifax said that using GPRS will enable customers to have 24 hour access to share prices, banking and financial information from mobile devices such as phones, personal digital assistants and laptops. The bank's service is expected to launch in September.

Littlewoods will offer online betting, pools and lotteries over the GPRS network this year. A spokesman for the company said no launch date had been set but it will be "shortly".

Analysts have welcomed the move by BT to offer GPRS services to the corporate market but remain cautious over the technology's capabilities.

Nigel Deighton, research director at Gartner, said: "Well done to BT Cellnet. It is refreshing to see a focus on the corporate market where there will be a better return on investment. However, customers should verify what they will be able to do with GPRS as the service has limitations."

"Users can not roam using GPRS and speeds will be much slower. You will be lucky to get speeds of 14Kbps possibly 28Kbps. However, companies should be thinking of migrating to GPRS and the excitement that BT's announcement may stir could focus attention on getting everything functional," he added.