Ideal rings changes with telephony box

Ideal Hardware is forging ahead in the mobile data systems market by supplying a bundle aimed at small businesses.

Called Mobile Freedom, the package from Motorola and Cellnet is designed for sale through the IT channel rather than through traditional telephone phone outlets.

The package includes a Motorola cellular phone, PC communications software, free email address, and software to help get the system started. Motorola will provide airtime and technical support.

Mobile Freedom provides a six-month subscription to the Cellnet network, which includes up to #20 of calls a month.

Paul Baird, sales manager at Motorola Communicate, said: ?The box enables executives to save more than #100 when compared with the cost of buying the contents separately at current retail prices.?

The price of the package ranges from #450 to #600.

?Mobile Freedom is aimed at businesses with five or six field sales people who are not supported by an IT infrastructure or IT manager. They can buy the box and it will work from day one,? Baird said.

He pointed out that the package makes it possible for traditional IT resellers to offer mobile datacoms systems to customers without the headache of arranging complex airtime contracts.

Traditional mail-order companies have expressed an interest in selling more telephony products as they believe that they are better suited to sell the products than high street outlets, which have concentrated on supplying purely communications hardware.