Update: Cingular has responded by saying that this will only affect new TDMA activations, something which they have already taken measures to limit by deploying only GSM phones in GoPhone form after key points in the merger with AT&T Wireless.
Today, a federal court has ordered that Cingular halt all new sales and activations of their GoPhone prepaid products. This is due to Cingular’s contracting of prepaid services management to BCGI, who is currently involved in a patent dispute with Freedom Wireless, making it the most public view of the case to-date.
Cingular does however have alternative options to continue new activations, such as placing new accounts on their own system as standard plans, and then implementing their own prepaid management system internally. Cingular must also cease usage of BCGI services for GoPhone within the next 90 days, as the court has ordered as well. Cingular has not offered any public statement as to how it intends to comply with the court’s rulings, BCGI has said it will appeal the decision.
