NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: KEITH SHAW ON WIRELESS COMPUTING DEVICES 08/19/04 Today's focus: Sprint offers wireless SLAs for business customers
Dear [EMAIL PROTECTED], In this issue: * Sprint offers credit if it fails to measure up * Links related to Wireless Computing Devices * Featured reader resource _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by SBC Gimme Shelter! Converged Services Spell Relief For Beleaguered Network Managers Switched IP networks are rapidly becoming the corporate communications architecture of choice. By converging voice, data and video onto IP telephony platforms and Virtual Private Networks, enterprises can supply bandwidth when and where end users need it, while significantly lowering administrative and equipment costs. Click here to download this Whitepaper now http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=72628 _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT NW FUSION'S NEW WHITE PAPER LIBRARY Just launched: NW Fusion's White Paper Library with new features and improved capabilities! Sort NW Fusion's library of white papers by Date and Vendor, view white papers by TECHNICAL CATEGORY, mouse over white paper descriptions and take advantage of our IMPROVED white paper search engine. CLICK HERE: http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=72531 _______________________________________________________________ Today's focus: Sprint offers wireless SLAs for business customers By Keith Shaw If you're a business customer using the Sprint Nationwide PCS Network, you may soon be able to get credits the next time you have a dropped call, blocked call or if voice availability drops. Sprint last week announced it would soon provide its business customers with service-level agreements (SLA) for wireless services. The SLAs "will offer service credits to businesses with corporate-sponsored (or company-paid) wireless subscribers based on the performance of the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network," a press release stated. The SLAs will be based on measuring dropped calls, blocked calls and network voice availability, Sprint says. According to Sprint, the SLAs cover the following: * Less than 2% voice blocks. If the national average wireless voice blocks for the Sprint network is 2% or more during any month, users may be eligible for a 10% service credit off the monthly charge for the wireless services. A blocked call is defined as one where the customer cannot successfully place a call while in the Sprint PCS coverage area. * Less than 2% voice call drops. If the national average for wireless voice drops on the Sprint network is 2% or more during any month, customers may be eligible for a 10% service credit off the monthly charge. A dropped call is defined as when a "user experiences an abnormal call release without either side manually ending the call while within the Sprint PCS coverage area." * Ninety-nine percent wireless network voice availability. If the national average wireless network voice availability for the Sprint network during any month is less than 99.9%, then a customer may be eligible for a 10% service credit off their monthly charge. Sprint says "the availability of all network elements in the call path for wireless voice service" will determine the score for "overall service availability." Based on those numbers, I don't see Sprint suddenly going bankrupt by offering these service credits, as the bar looks like it is set pretty low. In fact, Sprint is covering itself even more by saying that natural disasters and "force majeure events" may exclude the service credits from being offered. Furthermore, the coverage area is defined as a customer not in roaming mode and the user's phone displays at least one highlighted bar on the phone's screen. Still, the optimist in me is impressed with Sprint's willingness to say to its customers, "Hey, we're pretty confident about our wireless network that we're willing to put up an SLA to prove it." Whether this will attract new customers is up in the air, and something that I'd like to ask readers about. What do you think? Should your wireless carrier put its money where its network is, and offer wireless SLAs? What metrics would you use in your SLA? Send me a note at <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> and we'll discuss the comments in a future newsletter. **** See what's next in a wireless world. DEMOmobile puts the best of what's next in the palm of your hand. Hundreds apply, but only the most significant technologies are chosen to launch here. Register today to see them first. DEMOmobile 2004: The launchpad for a wireless world Sept. 8-10, La Jolla, Calif. http://www.demomobile.com/M4E9S> _______________________________________________________________ To contact: Keith Shaw Keith Shaw is Senior Reviews Editor at Network World. In addition, he writes the " Cool Tools <http://www.nwfusion.com/columnists/cooltools.html> " column, which looks at gizmos, gadgets and other mobile computing devices. You can reach Keith at <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by SBC Gimme Shelter! Converged Services Spell Relief For Beleaguered Network Managers Switched IP networks are rapidly becoming the corporate communications architecture of choice. By converging voice, data and video onto IP telephony platforms and Virtual Private Networks, enterprises can supply bandwidth when and where end users need it, while significantly lowering administrative and equipment costs. Click here to download this Whitepaper now http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=72627 _______________________________________________________________ ARCHIVE LINKS Archive of the Wireless Computing Devices (formerly Mobile Computing) newsletter: http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/mobile/index.html _______________________________________________________________ FEATURED READER RESOURCE WONDERING IF YOUR PAY IS UP TO SNUFF? Check out Network World's 2004 Salary Calculator to see if you're getting paid what you're worth. Using data collected in the 2004 Network World Salary Survey, we've programmed this calculator with several categories that could affect your pay. Answer the questions and find out what the average salary is for your job category. Click here: <http://www.nwfusion.com/salary/2004/calculator.html> _______________________________________________________________ May We Send You a Free Print Subscription? 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