Monday, October 01, 2007

Disney Mobile is Closing Down, Where do Kids Phones Go From Here?

Well I was pretty surprised to run across the news on PhoneScoop.com that Disney Mobile was closing up shop. Anytime I read something with the word Disney attached to it, I assume it will be successful, that's just how Disney usually works. But apparently not on this go around. Earlier in the year, they closed up Mobile ESPN which they also ran, but I figured Disney would dominate the market for kid phones. 

Apparently their "Family Center" feature was very popular and Disney is looking to shop that feature around to a major carrier to be featured later on, although Sprint and Verizon already offer similar programs. Family Center allows parents to see where there kids handset is on a map, and they are also able to restrict their kid's data and voice usage. The company had actually received much positive feedback for the services they provided, but the real issue is they're just not able to compete in the carrier wars that are at a competitive height right now. 

The company will provide service to subscribers through December 31, however they will announce a reimbursement and porting program by October 8. For anyone currently shopping for kids phones, AT&T offers the Firefly Kids Phone free for both new and upgrading AT&T Customers. You can order the Firefly on our AT&T Firefly Order Page.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

AT&T also offers the "Smart Limits" service, which is based in the network instead of the handset. ACE*COMM's Parent Patrol does the same thing as well. It's already rolled out in a few markets in Canada and is on the verge of being released in several markets in the U.S.