Bmobile Launches 4G ‘My Hotspot’, Introduces T&T to Portable WiFi Hotspots

Bmobile has launched their new portable WiFi product this easter weekend in print and radio ads. Dubbed ‘My Hotspot’, the service is the first of its kind in Trinidad & Tobago and gives consumers another option in having mobile internet access, along with more flexibility in the way that access is used.

While the ads have been scant on real details (such as data speeds and price), the more interesting aspects of this service surrounds four particular features:

• 4G WiMAX data connection (2Mbits/sec)
• Small portable device size, smaller than a BlackBerry Curve 8520
• battery powered so no need to plug it in to anything
• Built-in WiFi hotspot in the device for internet sharing (up to 5 devices)

Currently Blink Broadband offers several mobile data packages/services spread across several brands such as Blink on-the-Go (3G), Blink-on-the-Go Turbo (3g/4G) and Blink Pre-paid (4G).

What is WiMAX?

Since the Summit of The Americas in 2009 TSTT has had a WiMAX ( Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) network in operation, it was released as a consumer product later that year as Blink On-The-Go. WiMAX brings with it some really useful features:

• The high speed of broadband service, currently the Max speed for WiMAX is 40Mbits/sec, (My Hotspot offers 2Mbits/sec currently).
• The mobility of a WiFi network or cellular service in that you don’t have to be physically connected to the network as long as you’re in range of the antenna/tower.
• Broad range and signal coverage like that of the cellular networks. WiFi has a range measured in feet, WiMAX has a range measured in Kilometres.

How Does ‘My Hotspot’ Compare?

None of the newspaper or radio ads, to date, have given much detail on the service, but after speaking with two Bmobile/Blink reps, I was able to gather the following information.

Capability

Speed wise, the My Hotspot 4G service has the same data speed as the other services which use 4G, and is capped at 2Megabits per second, not bad at all though for most uses. The device is meant to be used like a mobile WiFi router, it offers much of the same capability of the Blink On-The-Go (OTG) service, but really is the only option when you need to share that connection easily with up to 5 devices. The small size and battery powered operation enables true portability and can be placed anywhere (or left in your pocket) while in use.

I imagine if you’re in a study group, or a small business meeting, this would be useful for providing a dedicated and unfiltered access to the internet for a small group. Also if you’re more into the fun side of life I think this will be a perfect beach accessory – connect your laptop and blackberry to this and you’ll have something to do while relaxing on the sand .

Pricing

Pricing is at the higher end of things, but this is to be expected as Bmobile/Blink has to recuperate the cost outlay for this service, especially in the cost for the WiMAX devices which are more complex and expensive compared to the Blink OTG 3G & 4G devices. Still though, if you’re a very mobile person and you don’t already have a land-line broadband connection, I would recommed this over the Blink OTG for the WiFi sharing and for the fact that you can use it for more than just your laptop – any WiFi enabled device can use this.

Final Thoughts

All in all, this is a great product, and if I didn’t already have 2 post-paid accounts + land-line broadband, I would get this right now. I do see this in my future though, because I plan to integrate one of these into my car! That way anyone coming into my car can enjoy mobile broadband on the go to connect their blackberry, android tablets and laptops. How do you see this working for you? Also, if you’ve got any questions or comments? let me know.

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