Cingular to increase SMS rate, too

Cingular Wireless is set to increase its fee for text messages from 10 cents to 15 cents, effective January 21 of next year. Cingular will use the increased fee as a way to encourage subscribers to sign up for a bulk SMS plan. The carrier’s hike only affects subscribers who do not subscribe to a bulk SMS plan. The affected subscribers are eligible to cancel their contract with Cingular without an early termination fee, since the contract specifically provides that loophole when rates increase for any service. Sprint made the same increase for SMS rates in October, but did not disclose how many subscribers left as a result. T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless still charge 10 cents per SMS, but it’s likely the two will raise that rate next year. Their ARPU’s may depend on it.

http://www.mobiletracker.net/archives/2006/12/15/cingular-sms-price

Cingular in deal with MySpace.com

ATLANTA – Cingular Wireless LLC, the nation’s largest cell phone provider, has made a deal with MySpace.com that will allow MySpace users to access their profiles through Cingular phones.

Under the agreement, cell phone users will be able to go to their MySpace.com page to edit it, post photos and get messages, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday. For example, a MySpace.com user could take a picture with his or her cell phone and then immediately post the image to a Web page.

The new MySpace Mobile application will cost $2.99 a month plus charges for data usage, Atlanta-based Cingular said.

The deal also expands Cingular’s work with MySpace.com, which includes letting bands use a service called MySpace Mobile Music to create ringtones.

MySpace.com, a popular social networking Web site, already has a deal with Helio, a cell phone venture of South Korea’s SK Telecom and EarthLink.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061218/ap_on_hi_te/cingular_myspace