The Qtek7070 Smartphone uses Windows CE to bring Internet Explorer, Outlook and Instant Messenger to the mobile, in an attempt to replicate and interact with the users desktop as closely as possible.
Optus hopes to stimulate mobile data usage with this phone, and has reduced its GPRS pricing to half a cent per kilobyte to encourage customers to use the service. Optus has also searched the Web for content tailored to mobile devices and created a site with links to those pages.
This also marks a departure from the strategy of the other mobile carriers, who have created "walled garden" portals of their own content. Optus has said its strategy is to provide a service and let other people provide the content.
Although Optus plans to trial a 3G network later this year, Optus Mobile managing director Allen Lew confirmed the telecommunications company had no plans to launch a commercial 3G network at this stage. Lew claimed there were now no 3G devices that could present a familiar Microsoft interface, and they weren't expected for another couple of years. All the software development is on 2G, he added.
Lew said mobile voice usage was up nine percent in the fourth quarter of 2002 compared to a year earlier, and mobile data revenue was up 72 percent over the same period. Admitting that the majority of data revenue came from SMS, Lew pointed out that in the six months to 31 March 2003, small and medium business usage of GPRS grew by 340 percent, and corporate usage of GPRS grew by 62 percent over the same period.
Microsoft managing director Steve Vamos said the operating system had been launched in mobile phones in several countries, beginning with the U.K. in September last year. "Optus is the second largest mobile operator in the world to launch this," said Vamos. "It's important to us because we want to work with tier one operators."
"This is a clear example of what Microsoft means by .NET and where we're heading with Web Services...seamless integration between devices," said Vamos.
Instead of teaming with a handset supplier, Microsoft and Optus have chosen to deal directly with a manufacturer. The handset is manufactured by Taiwan company HTC, who also manufacture the Telstra xda, which uses Microsoft software.
Hard to believe Optus slashed GPRS prices. They would have been trumpeting it around the world hiring their usual frogs and monkeys to pass the message. So far I've been charged the traditional 2 cents per kilobyte and so says the web site http://www.info2you.com.au/cgi-bin/info2you/static_file/display_file.cgi?file=pricing.html