Reuters unplugged: pagers linked to financial markets

In testing stage now, EasyCall executives are shooting for mid-June to unveil a Reuters wire service on its alphanumeric pagers.
For zl. 134 ($56), or double the basic monthly rate, alphanumeric pager owners will be able to receive updated Warsaw Stock Exchange quotes every five minutes during order balancing sessions and foreign exchange rates every ten minutes, as well as Polish and international financial news.
With 7,000 people "living off the Warsaw stock exchange," EasyCall Vice-President Alan Meldrum says the company expects to have a least 1,000 subscribers to the supplementary service within the next 12-18 months.
This is a conservative estimate, says Piotr Odrzywolek, Reuters marketing executive, made before the decision to float the zloty, which he says, would increase demand. Demand will determine modifications or additional service, with U.S. Treasury bill rates or future Polish financial instruments likely additions.
In addition to a Polish language news digest updated three times a day, an English-language service updated hourly during the business and key financial indices and commodity market data will be the core services, Odrzywolek said.
Reuters will feed news and market data to EasyCall's system by means of a leased line and custom software developed by Krakow-based Polished Group. Reuters will receive half the revenue from the venture, he said.
EasyCall has 12,000 subscribers to its service in Warsaw, Poznan, and *ode, with about 10,800 in the capital city alone.
The company expects most of its growth to come from wider geographic coverage with plans to have transmitters in seven additional metropolitan areas by the end of the year, officials say.
EasyCall's nearest competitor, Polpager, also has about 12,000 subscribers. With slightly lower fees for the basic alphanumeric pagers (zl. 64.20 or $26.75), its service is already accessible to 95% of the country, according to Slawomir Wolski, a marketing representative. Wolski says Polpager has no immediate plans to introduce supplementary service.
EasyCall Poland SA is 65% owned by Sydney-based Matrix Telecommunication Ltd. Most of its operations are in emerging markets in Asia and Europe, with its Australian operations now limited to a 49% stake in a research, development and support unit.