On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:12:45 GMT, karlkrandall@sbcglobal.net wrote:

>On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:39:38 GMT, "jeremy" <jeremy@nospam.com> wrote:
>
>>AT&T announced that they will expand the ability of their wireless customers
>>to make free calls. In addition to getting free m2m, wireless customers
>>will be able to call AT&T landlines without incurring usage fees or using
>>their wireless minutes.
>>
>>AT&T has 100 million landlines.
>
>Maybe 20 meet the requiremenrts.
>
>>
>>Good marketing strategy.
>
>Bad marketing, when folks find they dont get that free calling because
>of all the gotchas.
>
>>
>>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/19/bu...=1&oref=slogin
>>
>
>NOW THE REST OF THE STORY.
>
>Jeremy left out all the gotchas.. It's hardly a simple plan.
> To call a landline free, the landline customer
>
>1. Must be an AT&T POTS customer, within the regular AT&T service
>area. (SBC/Bellsouth) on the landline.
>
>2. Must have AT&T unlimited long distance and unlimited local on the
>landline. Far more expensive than say Vonage.
>
>and....
>
>3. Wireless customer must have a $59.99 or more AT&T wireless plan.
>
>4. The press release fails to mention (and thus likely time charges at
>the wireless end) calls from landline to wireless.


More gotchas - in the press release/web site, but not the news story.

5. You have to get a new Cingular "Unity" plan (likely will decrease
your plan minutes).

6. You have to have combined ATT/Cingular billing; likely the $5 month
credit for combined billing is going away due to the "benefit" of the
Unity plan.

http://www.cingular.com/learn/why/un...nformation.jsp

Read it and weep. Put a pencil to it. For most people, you lose.