Vodafone Embraces Sharing 3G
We wrote a few months back how Verizon Wireless was getting annoyed that multiple users were sharing a single EV-DO card and account by using a Junxion Box — a WiFi access point that uses EV-DO for backhaul — whereas Cingular had said it was evaluating the product and was trying to come up with a pricing model so it could sell it. Now, over in Europe, Vodafone is selling a similar device that lets 5 users share a single UMTS card, pitching it to businesses that have teams of workers that travel outside the office. The equipment isn’t all that expensive, compared to just the data cards alone, and should pick up a lot of companies that balked at buying multiple 3G data accounts. With products like the Junxion box out there, motivated users will find a way to share accounts. Carriers are better off doing as Vodafone has and cater to it so they can make something from them, rather than nothing. The real irony is that Verizon Wireless, which was having a hissy fit over the Junxion Box, is half-owned by Vodafone. Sounds like a case of daddy knows best.
