Under the covers
The companies, technologies and ideas that power the web.
Tuesday 3 July 2007, 10:43 AM
Half price data
When I started my on-line consulting business at the beginning of the year, one of my first purchases was a 3G data card.Actually purchase isn't exactly the right term as it came "free" with my new Sony laptop but I signed up to the T-Mobile Web'n'Walk because it's good value and also provides hotspot access at pretty much all Starbucks not just in the UK but abroad too.
I have quite a bit of "down time" between meetings and travel on the train regularly so it's been a major benefit to be able to get on-line with my laptop wherever I am.
I'm also a bit of a smartphone fiend, I've been using a Treo for several years now and I wouldn't be without it for email, calendar and contacts on the move. It boots up instantly unlike a laptop and I can keep in constant contact which is essential for my business.
My problem is that I use as much data on my Treo as I do on my laptop (up to 50Mb per month) so when I took on the phone contract from my previous employers, I was faced with having to sign up for a second data package for my phone. This would have doubled my mobile costs from £30/month to more than £60.
So I hatched an ingenious plan. Instead of signing up for a new contract, I got my existing mobile number transferred to my 3G datacard SIM. Now I can use the SIM in my phone and have unlimited data and when I need to use the 3G card, I just swap it over and use the data allowance on my laptop.
Of course, there's the hassle of having to swap it over but hey, I'm a bootstrapper. Also, I obviously can't make or receive phone calls when I'm using the datacard. But that's a small price to pay for a pretty decent saving and I've got a free "pay as you go" SIM if I'm really desperate.
Anybody else got a solution like/better than this? I'm sure there must be other possibilities for saving data costs.
PreviousComments on this post
Managing mobile data costs is an artform. Largely because operators don't currently publicise rates and users are often oblivious to charging structures companies. This means companies are often faced with huge bills for data roaming.
I have to admit the prospect of switching SIMs is not enticing, particularly given how long my Blackberry takes to boot up after I have replaced my SIM.
I use a USB 3G card and a Blackberry, if I am being honest I have no idea how much they cost to use because my company just picks up the bill. Outside of very small companies and one man bands, I think this is pretty typical - in fact I have heard an urban myth of an employee who was sent to Poland for a project for 3 months equipped with a 3G card. Assuming it was flat rate like his home broadband - he happily plugged it in and stayed connected for 3 months - resulting in a bill of several thousand pounds... scary...
The switching SIM solution is not bad, but I think the best way to save costs would be to manage users and billing more effectively, when an employee is issued with the latest device explain the parameters around usage. Operators should proactively flag up very high usage levels with users to check the device is being used correctly. All of this means an admin headache but must be a more effective way of managing these costs.
James, I agree about the billing, after dealing with the fixed line providers for 15 years and never getting a correct bill, I did hope that the mobile operators would be able to make a fresh start and get it right. Unfortunately, they've all grown by acquisition (like their predecessors) and are now in exactly the same situation.
The SIM switching is already starting to annoy me, all I really need is to be able to have on account with two numbers as I very rarely use both at the same time...
