Comments on: MVNO Karma goes live, selling a 4G hotspot made for sharing

By: Derek Kerton

Derek Kerton — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:55:55 +0000

@Jason. Sure lots of people have 3G or 4G on their phone. But there’s also lots of tablets, Nintendo DS, wifi cameras, laptops, and more that DON’T have any mobile Internet connection. The article looks at ways of getting those online under a social rewards framework.

@Brent. I can appreciate the apprehension about Facebook. Probably partly true. FB would certainly not be able to see the sites you are visiting. it is Karma’s way of simplifying the account creation process, and also getting users to spread the word. The Internet connection is not a FB service.

@Chris. The lines between Clear, Clearwire, and Sprint are blurry. Sprint is a majority owner in Clear, the company that operates the Clearwire WiMAX network, yet Sprint does not have controlling voting shares so the company runs “independently”. Sprint users use Sprint’s WiMAX and also roam freely onto Clear’s. It’s basically the same network to Sprint users, however, when Clear wholesales it to Karma, the deal does not include Sprint’s network. Sprint is currently trying to buy back Clear, but certain Clear shareholders don’t think the price is high enough.

By: Chris McNally

Chris McNally — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 12:46:24 +0000

I bought two Frredom Pop mifis which i am giving to my mom and her brother. They are not online enough to need a cable modem and wifi at all times. Is Clearwire the same as Sprint? I thought Freedon Pop was using Sprint’s WiMax network. Speed fir me was low in NYC but great in Boston where they live.

By: Dale M. Buckey

Dale M. Buckey — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 11:24:26 +0000

“I was at least interested in trying this out until i read that it has to link back to a Facebook account. I would never, ever allow something like this to tie into my Facebook account.’

I feel the same way. If Facebook is involved, I’m out…. (sound’s like SharkTank)

By: Brent Leasure

Brent Leasure — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:14:46 +0000

I was at least interested in trying this out until i read that it has to link back to a Facebook account. I would never, ever allow something like this to tie into my Facebook account. Knowing how they work, they (Facebook) would be able to view/track all of your data sent via the hotspot and sell it to their ‘partners’. Aside from that, I would be concerned about infringement – with so many people getting charged with illegal downloads, all the trolling law firms and the blindly compliant courts, i would not risk an open wireless hotspot that can be tied to my name.

the last issue is the amount of data guests get and how they get it. To use the hotspot, guests must have to create an account and then sign in to other hotspots since their usage is tracked. 100mb of data is nothing, gone in 30 seconds. It would have to be an emergency for me to go thru the process of signing up/in to use the hotspot, and a rare emergency at that, one where i didn’t have my cell phone but somehow did have my laptop or tablet.. no, i don’t think this will go anywhere unfortunately.

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:27:35 +0000

So many people have hspa+ or lte that it’s rare that someone is without a cellular data connection. On top of that they are usually hotposts (college, work, McDonalds) that offer faster speeds than Clear’s and a larger amount of data than Karma.

Lastly I don’t think 3 or more people would want to share a Wimax mobile hotspot due to their low speeds. I think it’s going to be difficult for Karma to be successful.