Can Coin Operated WiFi Hotspots Be Profitable?
The idea of a coin operated WiFi vending machine isn’t a new one. In fact, the first such stories about it originate from early 2004. However, it hasn’t really gotten off the ground yet, but Taiwanese hotspot base station designer Handlink may be on their way to delivering on the promise.
Their KS-852 model sort of looks like a giant walkie-talkie with a coin slot in it. Though the machine doesn’t take paper cash or credit cards, it will take the change in your pocket. After inputting your coins, it spits out a piece of paper giving you the passcode and advising you of how much time you have. Once you run out, simply go back and feed the meter.
This actually seems like a pretty good idea, although I’m not sure about the coin-only part of it. Seems like it would be much better if it took both cash and credit cards. But this could be a good option for cafes, laundromats, fast food joints, and even parks, and will be available 24 hours and won’t require any employees to process the transactions. It’s a lot like some of the bigger Internet cafes that have machines where you get a printed out passcode to use the computers they already have on site.
However, with more people having better data plans and more places offering free hotspots, there may be a limited window for something like this to be profitable. Actually, it may have long-term feasibility in remote locations, charging people desperate to get online at gas stations a high intial rate to login.
Story via James Sherwood of Register Hardware
Technorati Tags: coin operated wifi, handlink, coin-op wifi
