Connex started Cell Info service
My GSM provider, Connex, is continuing its quest into technology that could bring revenue.
Previously they offered free dial-up accounts for their customers, 2 (and now 3) millions of the 22 millions romanians. Large masses discovered the Interenet using it on their behalf or borrowing a logon. When the service got bloated, they limited to 10 hours a month, still they make the biggest ISP here.
I had activated Cell Info on my Nokia 7110 years ago. This technology, as Network Info service on GSM and teletext on TV, became obsolete, not because it has no value, but because the carriers couldn’t prove their utility. Providing such a service for customers did not increased the earning, because clients didn’t care much and the carriers (or TV stations, on teletext) had to work too much to provide content.
This morning, I saw on my phone “COTROCENI”. There’s this neighbourhood, Cotroceni, half a kilometer away from campus, mostly known for the ex-Royal Palace, now the residence of the president. I thought that there is a software error (Nokia 7110 official emulator has a button for “remove battery”, so buggy was the firmware on this model). I “scrolled” my memory for an entry in the phonebook that would include the word.
I’ve called on Support and the robot told me that they started a new service. They also intend to provide ads through this channel - that would be a case for turning it off, anyway.
A strange thing is that I live on a 8 floor building with their antenna on top. When I get its signal, the display switches to my neighbourhood name, Grozavesti. But its name shows up very rare and instead I got even “Opera” and “Gara de Nord”, that are more than 1 km away. The carrier marketed this service as “Connex Busola”, (meaning Compass), but this can’t be replacement for GPS - I can solely learn what’s the country I am in.