iBurst, a mobile broadband solution which was launched late last year, is now available at Hi-Fi Corporation, a national consumer electronics retailer. iBurst is currently available at the Hi-Fi Corporation branches in Woodmead, Fourways, Oakdene and Atterbury.
Anthony Mackenzie, head of sales at Wireless Business Solutions (WBS), which provides the iBurst network, says: "We are currently piloting in four major stores, but our plan is to roll-out iBurst in all the Hi-Fi Corporation branches within the metropolitan areas where there is iBurst network coverage. We will be piloting for at least another two weeks and will distribute to all the stores before the end of May."
iBurst offers high-speed Internet access through a connection card for a laptop or a modem-like device for a desktop PC. With iBurst, customers can get up to 1Mbps and can access up to 9GB per month depending on their service options.
The technology was launched last year at an introductory price and was officially launched on 1 April. Until then, iBurst was only available through online orders, its call centre, and through specific value-added resellers.
Mackenzie says: "We have put a number of UTCs and UTDs in the various stores and have opted to start with the month-to-month packages with a plan to roll-out long-term contracts at a later stage."
iBurst will be available at a reduced price during the piloting phase with the UTC price reduced from R2 100 to R1 600.
WBS has staged live broadband demonstrations at all four stores. "This is a good opportunity for us to educate customers not only about iBurst but about mobile broadband and its benefits," says Mackenzie.
WBS says it identified Hi-Fi Corporation as the best suitable reseller through which it can bring iBurst to its consumers because of its good brand, its understanding of iBurst and its wide availability throughout the country.
Commenting on the customer response, Mackenzie says: "We have received quite a good response from the public. We understand that people go to retail environments for instant gratification and we want to create an experience for customers to be able to go into the stores, get their modems, and be able to be instantly connected. With a no hustle connectivity policy, we are looking to do up to 500 sales per month from the Hi-Fi Corporation chain."
Hi-Fi corporation`s buyer Ray Hamilton says: "Although we are still on the learning curve in terms of selling the product effectively, our staff is very excited to sell the product and there has been a significant level of interest from customers. "
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