Nextel Communications Inc. is now offering worldwide digital wireless telephone service with one telephone and one telephone number, according to Marty Lock, the company’s area president for the Southeast.
Mr. Lock, who lives in Atlanta, told GlobalFax in a telephone interview that Nextel was the first company to offer a simplified flat rate per minute pricing to its customers based on the country from which they are calling.
He said that rates are 99-cents per minute for most of Europe, $1.99 per minute for Asia, South America and the Mideast and $2.99 to $4.99 per minute for countries in Africa, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.
The telephones were first made available at local dealers last week. To use the phones internationally, service customers will pay $5 per month in addition to a Nextel domestic service plan, but the $5 fee will be permanently waived for all customers that sign up before June 30, he said.
Mr. Lock also said that the worldwide phone solved frustrations cited by international travelers who complained in a recent survey about having to call from a hotel room, having to use calling cards, and having difficulty receiving calls.
“Our phone is easy to use,” he said. “Whatever number you use here in the U.S. travels with you and you may be reached by the same number whether you are traveling in the U.S. or abroad.”
For more information, call Edward Buczek, senior communications manager, at (770) 825-9640 or send an e-mail to ed.buczek@nextel.com