Internet connectivity is a necessity for smart phone users and WiFi hotspots can sometimes be either slow or hard to find. In the US, there’s a service called Karma which offers WiFi connectivity through Clearwire 4G WiMAX network and you’ll also get to earn free data quota by sharing your hotspot connection.
It basically works like a personal MiFi hotspot but the device is open for the public to join. Whenever someone connects to your device, they will be prompted to sign up for a free account with 100MB quota and in exchange, you’ll also get to earn 100MB per referral. Imagine if a WiFi hotspot goes down at a busy coffee place, this could be a golden opportunity to earn heaps of free data.
In terms of device, Karma uses the same Infomark 4G WiMAX hotspot as Yes Huddle XS which pushes a claimed 8-10 hours of usage. To start, you would need to purchase the MiFi for US$99 and it comes with pre-bundled 1GB of data. If you need more, you have a choice of 5GB at US$50 or 20GB at $180 which is roughly US$9 per GB on the highest bundle. Yes, it is expensive compared to other alternatives out there but the advantage is there’s no expiry on the data quota. This makes it suitable for light users that occasionally use the service as a backup.
While this concept looks good, there are some shortfalls with the service. For the owner, more users on board means less available throughput bandwidth to use despite having separated accounts. More connected users could also mean shorter battery life as well which isn’t ideal for the hard core road warrior.
For the strangers that latched onto a Karma hotspot, their connectivity is heavily depended on the host. So, if a Karma hotspot owner walks away, your connection is gone as well. Another downside is that Karma is limited to Clearwire’s WiMAX network and there’s no fall-back to other 3G networks when WiMAX isn’t available. Nevertheless, it is still a novel idea of earning free internet quota in return of creating more usable WiFi hotspots for the local community.
Would you think such service would work in Malaysia? Probably it is something Yes and other telcos with MiFi devices could consider.
For more information, you can head over to Karma’s website.
