"We have the where, when and how of wireless. So the when is you can decide what times of day and days of the week the kids can use the phone. You can set limits, which is the how, on text messaging, picture messaging, voice minutes. Get an alert on your handset the minute they hit those minutes. The other thing is where. We've gone in and created a Family Locator service using GPS and the parents can go in from our main menu, one click, do a locate and get that peace of mind when they don't really want to make a phone call."
Grobar says those features are being used by about fifty percent of Disney Mobile's customers on average each month. And if parents just want to use the Disney service for the kids...they can do the tracking via the Web. While you might think kids would object to their parents being able to track their whereabouts....Grobar says for some, at least, it beats the alternative....
"In fact if mom doesn't have to call and they can do a locate instead...I think they like that. My son took the bus, he's a fifteen year old freshman, for the first time about three weeks ago. My wife knew if she called him while he's with all his friends it was going to be bad. She used the Family Locator."
And their son was appreciative. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.