Europe to get free mobile internet

Link: Wireless gadget maker to offer on-the-move internet for free | The Register

Just caught this interesting story on The Register. They report that Canadian gadget company DataWind are launching their Pocket Surfer wireless web browser in Europe this month – and they’re promising “the internet anywhere… for free”.

DataWind pitches the price of the hardware low – just $200 for the device – but it also requires a $10 monthly fee for the company’s internet connectivity service. You can skip the regular payment with a one-off device purchase of $300.

DataWind’s USP as an ISP is its server-side data compression, which it claims significantly reduces the the amount of data it sends out to the handheld. It claims that “a customer can easily save over 200MB in bandwidth with the DataWind solution, in 20 hours of usage over a month – which could result in $20-80 in carrier data charges”.

So far so good. But how is it free? The device itself has no GSM or 3G radio functionality – instead it connects via Bluetooth to your mobile. So unless they’re planning to team up with an existing mobile operator to offer a new data tariff specifically for users of the unit, DataWind could have a problem on their hands justifying the ‘free’ tagline.

Update: According to the UK website for this product, the device does have quad band GSM radio built in. A little more digging reveals that there is apparently no other fees to pay in the first year (including data charges), then a minimum of £39.95 a year thereafter. Thanks to Darren for the tip.