5 ms·

Who will buy this?

bwb 7y ago
Americans who have cell phones :)? Anyone on GoogleFi? People who travel and don't want to switch phones? If Apple can deliver something at $25 to $80 a month like carriers who wouldn't want it?
- DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
  People in Europe who pay 10€/month for mobile internet.
  - bwb 7y ago
    I'm in Europe and that is a basic plan, but a lot of people pay more. I am guessing at 10 euros a month you might get 1GB a month, which is not enough for most things.
    - DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
      You can easily get a prepaid SIM with 3 GB of LTE for 10€/month in Western Europe. 5+ GB is possible if you're willing to go with one of the less extensive networks (e.g., Vodafone), or if you're willing to sign a contract (i.e., not prepaid).
      - bwb 7y ago
        Got a link? I've seen some pre-paid plans that did, but super discount carriers I didn't trust too much on speed / EU roaming agreements to other countries.
        lostlogin 7y ago
        Last year I walked into various grotty shops and sim cards in that price range were readily available in the UK and France. Usually 4g occasionally 3g. They were prepaid.
        DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
        I don't want to advertise anything, but this website has a pretty extensive comparison of options in Germany: https://www.check24.de/handytarife/vergleich?data_included=3000&minutes_included=100&select_contract=-1&young_tariff=no&with_high_rejection_rate=no&network_tmobile=yes&network_vodafone=yes&network_o2=yes&tariff_type=all&rnp=egal&tariff_activation_date=no&data_speed=0&lte=yes&hardware_nature=40&with_data_tariffs=no&fixed_traffic_automatic=egal&sms_included=all&network_eplus=yes https://www.check24.de/handytarife/vergleich?data_included=3... The cheapest plans are on the Vodafone and O2 networks, which aren't as good as the Telekom (former state-owned) network. There are, however, plans with 3 GB for less than 10€ on the Telekom network. If you're willing to go with one of the shoddier networks, you can save a few more Euros each month.
        bwb 7y ago
        Nice, I stand corrected, how does that limit of 22.6mb stack up to the big ones?
        DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
        It looks like there are plenty of cheap plans with 50 Mbit/s. It would be interesting to know what European countries have done differently from the US to foster competition in mobile providers.
    - urineaut 7y ago
      At least in Austria 10€/month will provide you with more than just a basic plan. With 9.90€/mo, you could get a plan with 15GB/500SMS/500min, without charging annual service fees or minimum term of contract. I pay 13.90€ and get 30GB/500SMS/500min with 5.19GB available for Roaming and I'm absolutely pleased with its cost-effectiveness and support. A little bit context about the Austrian mobile market: Until 2012 we had four different carriers: Orange, T-Mobile, A1 and Drei (Hutchinson). December 2012 the EU commision approved the merger of Orange into Drei under a few conditions so that competition will not be hindered. One of those conditions required Drei to open its network for up to 16 MVNOs [1]. If I remember correctly, prices soared slightly, but after some MVNOs were successfully established, the other carriers opened up their networks too and the additional competition led to plummeting prices. It seems like it's not even that expensive to set up a MVNO. The request for dialling codes is free at the telecom regulatory body [2] and Drei's reference offer seems reasonable, even without negotiating better conditions[3] [1]: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_12_1361 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_12_... [2]: https://www.rtr.at/de/tk/Rufnummern https://www.rtr.at/de/tk/Rufnummern [3]: https://www.drei.at/de/business/wholesale/mvno-and-reselling/ https://www.drei.at/de/business/wholesale/mvno-and-reselling...
- StuffedParrot 7y ago
  Right, but what’s the competitive edge? Why would you want a company famous for having a black hole for a ticket system running a service you depend on? Honest question, not trying to knock apple, it just seems like a strange move, I don’t see them substantially improving on the problems with existing carriers from a customer perspective.
  - Redoubts 7y ago
    1) who are you comparing with, ATT and Comcast? 2) I think most customers don’t even know what a ticket system is, or care. Apple is famous for very different things with consumers.
    - StuffedParrot 7y ago
      I was comparing with mobile carriers which you could improve in a lot of ways. I can’t imagine satellite internet could compete speed, bandwidth, or latency wise with modern metro area infrastructure, even in the next few years, even with significant investment. For rural areas, and internationally, it’s a real possibility. But my point wasn’t rhetorical, I am actually wondering which parts they’re aiming to improve upon—allowing tethering would be an obvious way.
      - bwb 7y ago
        Ya but Apple could blanket urban areas with 5g no problem, or rent space like FI, especially depending on how antitrust investigations go over the next 5 years.
        StuffedParrot 7y ago
        Could the same hardware for satellite modems work with 5g?

Who will buy this?

bwb 7y ago

Americans who have cell phones :)? Anyone on GoogleFi? People who travel and don't want to switch phones? If Apple can deliver something at $25 to $80 a month like carriers who wouldn't want it?

DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
People in Europe who pay 10€/month for mobile internet.
- bwb 7y ago
  I'm in Europe and that is a basic plan, but a lot of people pay more. I am guessing at 10 euros a month you might get 1GB a month, which is not enough for most things.
  - DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
    You can easily get a prepaid SIM with 3 GB of LTE for 10€/month in Western Europe. 5+ GB is possible if you're willing to go with one of the less extensive networks (e.g., Vodafone), or if you're willing to sign a contract (i.e., not prepaid).
    - bwb 7y ago
      Got a link? I've seen some pre-paid plans that did, but super discount carriers I didn't trust too much on speed / EU roaming agreements to other countries.
      - lostlogin 7y ago
        Last year I walked into various grotty shops and sim cards in that price range were readily available in the UK and France. Usually 4g occasionally 3g. They were prepaid.
      - DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
        I don't want to advertise anything, but this website has a pretty extensive comparison of options in Germany: https://www.check24.de/handytarife/vergleich?data_included=3000&minutes_included=100&select_contract=-1&young_tariff=no&with_high_rejection_rate=no&network_tmobile=yes&network_vodafone=yes&network_o2=yes&tariff_type=all&rnp=egal&tariff_activation_date=no&data_speed=0&lte=yes&hardware_nature=40&with_data_tariffs=no&fixed_traffic_automatic=egal&sms_included=all&network_eplus=yes https://www.check24.de/handytarife/vergleich?data_included=3... The cheapest plans are on the Vodafone and O2 networks, which aren't as good as the Telekom (former state-owned) network. There are, however, plans with 3 GB for less than 10€ on the Telekom network. If you're willing to go with one of the shoddier networks, you can save a few more Euros each month.
        bwb 7y ago
        Nice, I stand corrected, how does that limit of 22.6mb stack up to the big ones?
        DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
        It looks like there are plenty of cheap plans with 50 Mbit/s. It would be interesting to know what European countries have done differently from the US to foster competition in mobile providers.
  - urineaut 7y ago
    At least in Austria 10€/month will provide you with more than just a basic plan. With 9.90€/mo, you could get a plan with 15GB/500SMS/500min, without charging annual service fees or minimum term of contract. I pay 13.90€ and get 30GB/500SMS/500min with 5.19GB available for Roaming and I'm absolutely pleased with its cost-effectiveness and support. A little bit context about the Austrian mobile market: Until 2012 we had four different carriers: Orange, T-Mobile, A1 and Drei (Hutchinson). December 2012 the EU commision approved the merger of Orange into Drei under a few conditions so that competition will not be hindered. One of those conditions required Drei to open its network for up to 16 MVNOs [1]. If I remember correctly, prices soared slightly, but after some MVNOs were successfully established, the other carriers opened up their networks too and the additional competition led to plummeting prices. It seems like it's not even that expensive to set up a MVNO. The request for dialling codes is free at the telecom regulatory body [2] and Drei's reference offer seems reasonable, even without negotiating better conditions[3] [1]: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_12_1361 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_12_... [2]: https://www.rtr.at/de/tk/Rufnummern https://www.rtr.at/de/tk/Rufnummern [3]: https://www.drei.at/de/business/wholesale/mvno-and-reselling/ https://www.drei.at/de/business/wholesale/mvno-and-reselling...
StuffedParrot 7y ago
Right, but what’s the competitive edge? Why would you want a company famous for having a black hole for a ticket system running a service you depend on? Honest question, not trying to knock apple, it just seems like a strange move, I don’t see them substantially improving on the problems with existing carriers from a customer perspective.
- Redoubts 7y ago
  1) who are you comparing with, ATT and Comcast? 2) I think most customers don’t even know what a ticket system is, or care. Apple is famous for very different things with consumers.
  - StuffedParrot 7y ago
    I was comparing with mobile carriers which you could improve in a lot of ways. I can’t imagine satellite internet could compete speed, bandwidth, or latency wise with modern metro area infrastructure, even in the next few years, even with significant investment. For rural areas, and internationally, it’s a real possibility. But my point wasn’t rhetorical, I am actually wondering which parts they’re aiming to improve upon—allowing tethering would be an obvious way.
    - bwb 7y ago
      Ya but Apple could blanket urban areas with 5g no problem, or rent space like FI, especially depending on how antitrust investigations go over the next 5 years.
      - StuffedParrot 7y ago
        Could the same hardware for satellite modems work with 5g?