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Clearwire Aims Rover Prepaid Broadband at Gen Y
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Clearwire is offering pay-as-you-go 4G mobile broadband named Rover and aimed at Generation Y. The Rover service from Clearwire requires the Rover Puck mobile hot spot for $150 or the Rover Stick modem for $100. Rover service is priced from $5 a day to $50 a month and offers Clearwire customers an opportunity to try out mobile broadband.
Clearwire on Monday introduced a pay-as-you-go 4G mobile Relevant Products/Services broadband service aimed at Generation Y consumers. Dubbed Rover, the brand works to appeal to a younger generation that isn't hip on long-term contracts.
Mike Sievert, chief commercial officer for Clearwire, has done his homework. His research shows that commitment-free services are "wildly popular" with the Gen Y crowd.
"We've built Rover from the ground up with products, pricing and features designed specifically to serve a younger market who knows how you get connected is just as important as where," Sievert said. "Expanding our offers to meet this underserved segment is an important new business opportunity for Clearwire as we continue to extend our leadership in mobile broadband."
Hockey-Less Pucks
Rover's flagship device is the Rover Puck, a portable Wi-Fi hot spot that lets consumers share broadband access with up to eight devices at the same time. The Rover Puck lets consumers connect devices such as laptops, netbooks, the iPad, the iPod touch, smartphones, PSP systems, game consoles, and Wi-Fi-enabled digital Relevant Products/Services cameras.
The Rover Puck offers mobile download speeds of three to six Mbps, with bursts of more than 10 Mbps. That's up to four times faster than conventional 3G Relevant Products/Services. The Rover Puck is priced at $150.
The Rover Stick is a personal 4G USB modem that connects notebooks, laptops or desktops to the Rover 4G Service at the same speeds. The Rover Stick is compatible with Mac and Windows computers and retails for $100.
"The opportunity for pay-as-you-go mobile broadband should not be underestimated," said Carrie MacGillvray, program manager and wireless Relevant Products/Services analyst at IDC. "Prepaid -- or pay-as-you-go -- data Relevant Products/Services provides an option for consumers to experiment with the power of mobile broadband without being saddled with a two-year commitment. A prepaid mobile broadband service can offer consumers the ability to access and share Internet service, at home or on the go, in an affordable way."
Unlimited Pricing
The Rover service costs $5 a day, $20 a week, or $50 a month for unlimited 4G Internet use. Depending on the retail channel, customers will be able to purchase a Rover Re-Up PIN code or physical Rover Re-Up card in $20 and $50 denominations.
Michael Gartenberg, a partner at Altimeter Group, said the emergence of pay-as-you-go mobile broadband gives consumers a broad set of options and pricing flexibility. The downside, he added, is that consumers have a broad set of options and pricing flexibility for these services, which means consumers need to do their homework to determine what model best fits their needs.
"The Rover makes very good sense. As more people are looking to embrace 3G and 4G mobile services, you are going to find fewer people who are going to be willing to make a monthly commitment of $50 or $60 when they only need the service occasionally," Gartenberg said. "These types of pay-as-you-go plans are going to be extremely popular the same way pay-as-you-go plans have been very popular with a certain segment of consumers."
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Clearwire on Monday introduced a pay-as-you-go 4G mobile Relevant Products/Services broadband service aimed at Generation Y consumers. Dubbed Rover, the brand works to appeal to a younger generation that isn't hip on long-term contracts.
Mike Sievert, chief commercial officer for Clearwire, has done his homework. His research shows that commitment-free services are "wildly popular" with the Gen Y crowd.
"We've built Rover from the ground up with products, pricing and features designed specifically to serve a younger market who knows how you get connected is just as important as where," Sievert said. "Expanding our offers to meet this underserved segment is an important new business opportunity for Clearwire as we continue to extend our leadership in mobile broadband."
Hockey-Less Pucks
Rover's flagship device is the Rover Puck, a portable Wi-Fi hot spot that lets consumers share broadband access with up to eight devices at the same time. The Rover Puck lets consumers connect devices such as laptops, netbooks, the iPad, the iPod touch, smartphones, PSP systems, game consoles, and Wi-Fi-enabled digital Relevant Products/Services cameras.
The Rover Puck offers mobile download speeds of three to six Mbps, with bursts of more than 10 Mbps. That's up to four times faster than conventional 3G Relevant Products/Services. The Rover Puck is priced at $150.
The Rover Stick is a personal 4G USB modem that connects notebooks, laptops or desktops to the Rover 4G Service at the same speeds. The Rover Stick is compatible with Mac and Windows computers and retails for $100.
"The opportunity for pay-as-you-go mobile broadband should not be underestimated," said Carrie MacGillvray, program manager and wireless Relevant Products/Services analyst at IDC. "Prepaid -- or pay-as-you-go -- data Relevant Products/Services provides an option for consumers to experiment with the power of mobile broadband without being saddled with a two-year commitment. A prepaid mobile broadband service can offer consumers the ability to access and share Internet service, at home or on the go, in an affordable way."
Unlimited Pricing
The Rover service costs $5 a day, $20 a week, or $50 a month for unlimited 4G Internet use. Depending on the retail channel, customers will be able to purchase a Rover Re-Up PIN code or physical Rover Re-Up card in $20 and $50 denominations.
Michael Gartenberg, a partner at Altimeter Group, said the emergence of pay-as-you-go mobile broadband gives consumers a broad set of options and pricing flexibility. The downside, he added, is that consumers have a broad set of options and pricing flexibility for these services, which means consumers need to do their homework to determine what model best fits their needs.
"The Rover makes very good sense. As more people are looking to embrace 3G and 4G mobile services, you are going to find fewer people who are going to be willing to make a monthly commitment of $50 or $60 when they only need the service occasionally," Gartenberg said. "These types of pay-as-you-go plans are going to be extremely popular the same way pay-as-you-go plans have been very popular with a certain segment of consumers."
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