Helio, the MVNO founded by Sky Dayton, the founder of EarthLink and Boingo, has announced plans for a hybrid EVDO and WiFi service, called what else, Helio Hybrid. Helio Hybrid combines a 3G card and a laptop’s built-in Wi-Fi with software that switches between a 3G network, private and free Wi-Fi signals and a network of commercial Wi-Fi hot spots, and will charge a single monthly fee for access.
Considering Dayton’s background in WiFi (with Boingo), this was to be expected… in fact, Helio has tied up with Boingo as one of the WiFi provider for this hybrid service.
This is a stand-alone service, separate from Helio’s phone service, and will start retailing today for $85 a month (for a two-year commitment)… it will be sold online as well as through Fry’s Electronics locations. That is slightly high if you ask me, because if you buy stand-alone services (3G card and a WiFi service) there are ways in which the pricing will probably come less than that, even though there is some value in Helio’s intelligent software.
On the other hand, this is a test ground for Helio to see the demand for hybrid services such as this, and by next year I would expect them to migrate such a hybrid service to an actual phone service… companies such as T-Mobile and others are working on such services, but none have really launched till in US.
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