South African WiFi service provider WirelessG has rolled out a converged online service that allows users to consolidate their spend on ADSL, 3G/HSDPA and WiFi hotspot access.
According to WirelessG CEO, Carel van der Merwe, the G-Connect service is a prepaid shared data wallet users can purchase to get broadband capacity for the three main forms of Internet connectivity in SA.
He says the company has strong aspirations for the growth of the service, adding that G-Connect should see greater public interest once the Seacom cable introduces lower-cost bandwidth.
“We believe the service will attract great attention because of the ease of use with which customers can buy and use data capacity, as and when they require it without having the burden of a contract.”
Van der Merwe says customers can buy their data access in increments of R25, R50, R100, R250 or R500 and immediately begin surfing with the convenience of a single provider.
ADSL will be deducted from the user's bandwidth balance at a rate of 6.5c, while 3G will be deducted from the user's balance at a rate of 62c per MB. WiFi access at over 750 local hotspots will be deducted at a rate of 45c per minute or 49c per MB, depending on the user's preference.
According to the company, the service provides international Internet access at more than 110 000 hotspots globally, at a flat rate of R1.50 per minute.
Van der Merwe points out that users with a Vodacom SIM card can apply for the SIM to be provisioned on the G-Connect service and will be granted access to the service within 24 hours. Other users, however, will have to pay a once-off charge of R150.
WirelessG has also developed free dashboard software for Windows and Mac platforms that connects to Internet services.
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