Here’s an idea I wish one of the major carriers would offer: A Mobile Broadband Rental Service.
I’ve been researching and consider buying a mobile broadband card so I can have web service wherever and whenever I want (i.e. traveling), and also as a potential backup web service, but I don’t want to sign a two-year contract that costs as much as my existing home/office Internet connection.
So here’s what I’d propose: Allow one-day, one-week and one-month “pay as you go” service with the purchase of a broadband card from that carrier.
The carrier would get the hardware sell, and a bunch of qualified customers who will have to use their “pay as you go” service when they want to renew it.
This would be perfect for those who travel infrequently but still need high-speed mobile web connections when they do. And think of all the places and businesses it could be sold.
I know it’s not the subscription-based service that they’d love, but I think it’s an underserved niche.
I’d be one of the first customers!
I totally agree with you! Just in case you haven’t found them yet there is a company that actually does rent out the mobile broadband cards by the week or the month. The company is called WifiRents.com and I recently rented a cardd from them for a family vacation. I was very pleased with their service and I would reccommend them to all of you looking for this type of rental service. Feel free to check out there website and decide for yourself.
Hope this is helpful to some of you!