Boston, MA 07/11/2014 (wallstreetpr) – AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) in January this year launched a data service that offers companies an opportunity to meet the data bill of their customers. The service functions like the toll-free telephone number that was popular among businesses in the days of landline communication.
Although the service appears promising in an age where companies are willing to do everything to accelerate sales, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) has not been able to tap any Big-Names to the sponsored data platform.
The service is currently on a pilot phase, and there were widespread speculations that Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) may be among the first big customers to enroll for the sponsored data plan in its Fire smartphone. However, a deafening silence reigns on the matter of Amazon.
Although big companies have so far kept off the sponsored data plan, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is gradually adding smaller names. One of the smaller companies that have been receptive to the sponsored data arrangement is Syntonic Wireless, a Seattle-based startup.
The sponsored data plan is first being launched on phones running on Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Android OS. The service will later be extended to Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iOS and other platforms. In addition to smartphones, Tablets are also expected to benefit from the data plan.
Catch for e-commerce
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T)’s sponsored data plan appears to be a great idea for e-commerce and content companies to boost their revenue. These are areas where customer traffic means almost everything for the business. As such, footing the data bill for customers to visit the sites is not only a great way to increase traffic, but also an inexpensive way to promote a business in the long-run, according to experts.
Variant service
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) may be the first one among the major carriers to announce a sponsored data program. However, other operators are also working on variant services based on the same concept. T-Mobile US Inc (NYSE:TMUS) is a good example that is sponsoring customers to use various entertainment services.
