Canais XM chegam à liderança dos telemóveis

Mais uma forma de convergência; mais um exemplo de que os telemóveis podem ser o receptor do futuro:

«Starting Monday, Cingular Wireless customers can hear 25 XM Satellite Radio channels through their compatible phones.
The agreement between the two companies, announced this morning, marks the first-time satellite radio has been available on a wireless carrier of this size. The commercial-free channels being broadcast range from 70s/80s/90s music to hip hop/R&B to country, Latin, Top 20 and rock.
The service, called XM Radio Mobile, carries a monthly charge of $8.99 for Cingular customers with compatible phones. However, the songs are considered data transmissions, which all but ensures that you'll need to purchase a Media Max package (unlimited data access for $29.99/month and up) if you don't already have one, to go with the subscription.

"Otherwise, it gets pretty expensive," said Cingular spokesman Mark Siegel.
The song title, artist and album will display on your phone's screen while the music is playing over your headset.
A similar agreement between XM and Alltel that launched about two months ago has "exceeded our expectations," said Chance Patterson, XM spokesman. While he didn't rule out additional agreements with other carriers, he said the company was focusing on these two companies for now.
Cingular is the nation's largest wireless carrier, with about 58 million customers. Alltel has about 11 million customers, Patterson said.»

fonte: Detroit Free Press, «Cingular, XM reveal plan for radio on cell phones», November 2, 2006, HEATHER NEWMAN

Sobre o negócio com a Alltel: «enabling Alltel users to listen to 20 commercial-free channels of satellite radio on their phone. This isn't just a "value-add" for Alltel customers, nor is it a sweetheart deal for XM. Rather, it's the nation's number five carrier trying to drive revenue through additional services in the face of ever-increasing downward pressure on call rates. Once we get that in-car WiFi we are all being promised, we may still need Verizon and Cingular for broadband access, but I won't be buying 900 minutes a month anymore, that's for sure. And I might not even need a "phone" as we currently know it. Now, I am not trumpeting the death of the cell phone here--that would be idiotic, and this isn't that kind of blog»