Sprint has launched a $10 per month service for parents to track their kids. “The service lets parents look at maps on their cellphones or computers to locate their children who also carry mobile phones. Parents can also program the service to automatically send them text messages at specific times each day to confirm that their children have arrived at home or in school.” The service also notifies the kids via SMS that their parents have checked up on them.
According to Reuters there’s a two-fold strategy in this. One is making money from the location services carriers are required by law to put in phones in case of 911 emergencies, and the other is to increase Sprint’s share of the family market. Carriers in the US get almost 60% of their subscribrers from family discount plans…but only 2% of US citizens are reportedly interested in location services.
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