Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Trade In Your Old Wackberry And Get $200.00

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 19:13:02 -0400

Trade In Your Old Wackberry And Get $200.00
AT&T gives credit for old WackBerrys

By Richard Shim
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
May 1, 2003, 11:54 AM PT

AT&T Wireless is hoping to lure BlackBerry users into upgrading their devices and
subscribing to its next-generation cellular service.

The Redmond, Wash.-based carrier on Thursday launched a buy-back and leasing
program offering up to $200 in credit to BlackBerry users who upgrade to a new device
and sign up for its Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and General Packet
Radio Service (GPRS) cellular network.

Owners of Research In Motion's older BlackBerry devices--the 850, 857, 950, or 957
models--can use the credit toward buying or leasing a BlackBerry 6710 or 6210 device
from AT&T Wireless when they sign up for its GSM/GPRS service plan.

The amount of credit given depends on the device the company buys back and service plan
a customer chooses. Those who sign up for both voice and data plans receive a higher
credit.

Older BlackBerry devices run on the slower Mobitex wireless network. AT&T wants
entice subscribers of that network to its next-generation 2.5G network, which provides
voice and data services, international roaming, and the ability to send and receive
messages
and browse the Web.

"By providing customers with the
flexibility of purchasing or leasing,
coupled with a trade-in credit for
their older devices, customers can
now easily migrate from their
less-robust, proprietary BlackBerry
service to GSM/GPRS," Andre
Dahan, president of AT&T Wireless
Mobile Multimedia Services said in
a statement.

The point of the program is clearly
to drive adoption of AT&T Wireless'
network, according to analyst Jason
Tsai of equity research firm
ThinkEquity Partners.

"AT&T Wireless is footing the bill for
the conversion from Mobitex to
GPRS," he said. "This is a positive for RIM because it will drive incremental revenue from

hardware."

Tsai added that RIM receives better revenue per user from AT&T Wireless than Cingular,
which
maintains a Mobitex network, because of more favorable contract terms.

For AT&T, the deal also means better revenue opportunities on a per-subscriber basis. "By
selling a BlackBerry with voice and data capabilities, a carrier is increasing their
revenue by at
least $35," Tsai estimated.

Devices can be leased for 24, 30 or 36 months for between $10 and $36.25 per month,
depending on the terms of the contract.

AT&T Wireless had 21.1 million subscribers of its wireless services as of March 31. The
trade-in program will end Sept. 30.

http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-999305.html