IBM Corp has won something of a coup in the field of wireless data services, with the news that several of the larger mobile and wireless service providers have selected it as a preferred provider of mobile data service solutions. The carriers are Motorola Inc, AT&T Wireless Services, Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile, the CellularOne subsidiary of Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems, GTE MobilNet, the BellSouth-RAM RAM Mobile Data joint venture and 360 Communications Inc (formerly Sprint Cellular). While the agreement is good news for IBM, it is non-exclusive and there is no indication how many other preferred providers will also be appointed. IBM has also become a preferred services provider for equipment manufacturers Ericsson, Racotek and Telxon, through which it will provide mutual customers with a single source of multivendor product procurement, integration services, warranty claims support, post-sale repair and replacement, and end-user support. For the carriers, IBM’s agreement has five main elements: it will provide integrated end-to-end mobile solutions and services; wireline to wireless internetworking solutions via the IBM Global Network; Internet access solutions and on-line electronic services; regional wireless solutions based on dissimilar wireless technologies, protocols, and operating systems; and act as a single point of contact for customers. IBM’s portfolio of products include packet data, Cellular Digital Packet Data, circuit switched data, as well as analog and digital public switched cellular technologies.
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