Mobile data roaming will be the hot topic of 2009, says Starhome
Just finished a phone interview with Amit Daniel, VP Marketing & Business Development for mobile roaming specialist Starhome. Starhome provides value-added roaming services for mobile operators, and are more than ready for what it says will be one of the hottest opportunities for mobile internet in 2009 - mobile data roaming.
What’s the big deal?
Starhome claims that mobile operators and carriers are already beginning to move towards clear, roaming data charges. Devices like the iPhone, Blackberry and other smartphones are driving far more people onto the mobile web. This audience expects the mobile Internet to be the same as their on-line connection at home. Thanks to non-transparent billing, “bill shock” has lead to massive customer dissatisfaction with operators. On top of that, proposed EU regulations will force operators to dramatically reduce their roaming charges (as happened in 2007 with mobile call rates). So in 2009, something has to be done. The market is demanding solutions.
And Starhome has some suggestions.
Starhome services:
I had previously thought that making international data tariffs easy to handle would be pretty much impossible. But after talking to Starhome, I’ve discovered there are some solutions I hadn’t even considered. Now, Starhome have 30 or more solutions available for roaming, but there were two that I felt were really interesting:
Roaming control: a very simple idea, this. Roaming Control gives operators the ability to monitor data usage on an individual phone (nothing else). Using this info, they can offer users a mobile Internet package for use when abroad. For example, the package might be 2 euro worth of data download every day. When the user approaches the 2 euro limit, the operator can then send them a warning. These packages can be based on any type of usage, including money, data consumption, time spent, etc. So a user could, hypthetically, purchase a 3-days-for-20-euro mobile bundle. This service works for both pre- and post-paid customers, and means that roaming charges are up front, rather than a shock at the end of the month
Mobile portal for roamers: For those that want to get the best rates and advice while abroad, Starhome maintains a mobile website dedicated to roaming. While there will be content and apps available, it’s mainly a hub for letting roamers know how to get the best use out of their mobile abroad. There’s info on what the local networks are, and which ones are best to connect to. The best connection is based on criteria like who your existing contract is with, and even what model phone you use.
What we think?
Especially now that there’s less cash in peoples pockets, consumers will be paying sharp attention to mobile bills. Customers will lose patience if they can’t get the same use out of their expensive, high-end smartphone abroad as they would at home. And getting back to a crippling end-of-month bill will really push people away. From what Starhome says, the mobile operators are aware of this problem and are hungry for ways to solve it. A lot of the Starhome ideas look pretty good to me, and whether or not it’s Starhome that’s providing them, I reckon you’ll see a lot of these solutions being introduced by operators this year.
I’ve roamed a lot around Europe. I found that if I spend more than a week or so in the same country, the best thing to do was to buy a SIM card from a local provider. This was quite cheap since receiving calls in most countries is free and I could make quick calls if needed with the included credit, it costs around 15-30 dollars for a SIM card with a phone number and some 10-15 dollars of included credit if you already have a GSM phone.
To do this you need a phone that is not locked and can work on other mobile networks other than the one you use at home. Most of the phones you buy with contracts are locked. You can get most cellphones unlocked in Europe for 10-30 dollars, just ask around.
If I use my Canadian cell phone while in Europe, I pay around 2 dollars a minute both for receiving and making calls. This method is free for receiving calls, about 30-50 cents a minute to call locally and about 1 to 2 dollars to call Canada or the USA.