EarthLink Inc. plans to enter the wireless voice communications market this spring, expanding beyond sales of personal digital assistants that carry only data, the No. 3 U.S. Internet service provider said on Monday.
EarthLink, based in Atlanta, Georgia, said it has not decided who will make its first voice and data device, but the Blackberry wireless device made by Research in Motion Ltd. is under consideration.
EarthLink already sells its own brand of Blackberry device that handles data transmissions.
The voice service will range from $40 to $70 per month and the data service will range from $20 to $50 per month, a spokesman for EarthLink said.
The device will have a keyboard and PDA functions, such as a calendar and address book, that can be accessed while the user is making a voice call. The company plans to launch more devices offering both voice and data after the first product is released.