9/28/2007

The Walt Disney Co. will pull the plug on its branded cell-phone service

The Walt Disney Co. will pull the plug on its branded cell-phone service by the end of the year. The customers liked the product that allowed parents to determine the location of a child carrying a phone, but that it was having problems getting the phone into large retailers. The company will end sales immediately and continue to service the handsets until the end of the year. Disney is talking to major cell-phone carriers about offering some of its most popular services, such as tracking the location of phone users.

Disney subscribers bought special handsets for their children and the service provided Disney ringtones, video and other branded content. The service used Sprint Nextel Corp.'s network. The phones were equipped to display the location of a user's handset on a map, limit when and how the phone was used and set limits on expenditures.

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