According to
the last quarterly barometer of the
Mobile Marketing Association France, 20.1 millions of smartphones and 5.3
millions of tablets will be bought in France in 2015, that is to say more than
25 millions units.
Indeed,
mobile devices are everywhere. The number of smartphone and tablet users is continuously
increasing, so much that almost 100% of tourists travelling to France possess
at least one of these. Smartphones and tablets have become the new trendy tools
in order to facilitate and enhance tourists’ experience and improve customer
loyalty.
However, the
issue tourists often face is the lack of Wi-Fi coverage. Sure, tourists can go
to fast-foods restaurants or tourism offices to get Wi-Fi but it will never be
as fast, efficient and unlimited as a ‘traditional’ hotspot. That is when
several start-ups created the concept of individual hotspots. Travel Wifi is
the very first one that implemented this model in France.
What is Travel Wifi? How does it work?
Travel Wifi
offers to its clients the renting of a personal Wi-Fi hotspot, also called
“pocket Wi-Fi”. This hotspot is a small wireless modem that connects any Wi-Fi
enabled device to 3G/4G Internet, with a fast and secure connection. It would
allow the user to use unlimited data while being abroad to, for example, send
emails with attached photos or documents, stay in touch with family, friends,
stay up to date with work, use maps on their smartphone, find their way easily,
find useful information for their visits (public transportation schedules,
museum hours, addresses...) and so on.
It is a very
simple solution as the client can book online and Travel Wifi ships the mobile hotspot
directly to address indicated by the client (can be the hotel address for
example). Then the client only has to return it thanks to a prepaid envelop on
the last day of the renting.
The main
benefits of this solution are:
- The Internet provider is Bouygues Telecom which has the best 4G coverage in France and guarantees a quick and efficient service
- No data roaming charges
- Works for 10 devices at the same time
- Individual hotspot with its own SIM card so the client can keep his or her personal SIM card and stay reachable
- Easy to get and use
As
the tool has a 6-hour autonomy, which may not be sufficient for an entire day
trip, the company may have to work on providing a better battery length to
enhance its clients’ experience.
Finally, even
though it is much cheaper than the data roaming costs (can be up to 10€/MB
depending on the country) and rate/hour gets
lower while rent length gets longer, this solution seems to target mainly wealthy clients.
Sources:
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